Irish Circus Beauty
by Cheshire.Heart
Summary: Nicolette Roberts was a runaway Irish gymnast from France who wanted nothing more than to live her dream performing with the Kaleido Stage in America. After a strange run in with Jerry the Policeman, she is brought to the Kaleido cast auditions and hopes to wow the crowd with her determination and love of the art. But will her story end with a happy ending?
1. Daring Farewell

**Anime**: Kaleido Star

**Creator**: Junichi Sato

**Author**: Cheshire

* * *

"_**IRISH CIRCUS BEAUTY**__"_

_Prologue: A __Daring Farewell _

A loud eruption of cheers and cries of joy filled a large yellow and blue stripped tent, men and women of all ages jumped up from their seats clapping to their hearts content as their echoed all around. A cast of about twenty plus stood on the edges of a circular stage, waving and smiling at the audience who came to see them perform; some of the members taking off headpieces that went along with their insect like costumes. The cast took a group bow and glanced around as more and more people stood up; their smiles growing even more in excitement. One of the cast members, a young woman who wore a white leotard covered in silver sequins removed her headpiece and let her bubblegum pink locks roll down her neck in bouncy curls. She held the headpiece under her arm and smiled softly as she waved to the people who filled the tent's seats, appreciating all the support she and her cast were receiving. The cast all held hands with one another and bowed a final time to the audience before running backstage to their own personal tent were their director stood waiting for the crew, a smile on his lips. "You all were amazing out there." He said truthfully and the cast of performers smiled, happy at their director's words.

"For a last show here in France, I am very proud of you all. Tomorrow we will return to Quebec and continue rehearsals for our next show." He clapped his hands together and gave the group one last look over before telling them. "All right, you are free to go. Celebrate! Have a good time but be back at a decent hour! We have to pack up the tent's tomorrow!" The group cheered and all hurried over to their personal mirrors to remove their makeup and costumes before they would enjoy a night on the town here in Paris. The pink haired woman walked over to her own mirror and set the headpiece on a wig head as she sat down on a white stool. Her exotic makeup made her bright eyes pop and her fair skin to glow along with her strange, but bubbly hair color. Although she looked beautiful and joyous to anyone who watched her perform this night, there was something different going on inside her.

The young woman sighed and leaned her head against her airs, which were resting on the make up table. Her eyes drifted to a many pictures that were tapped onto the side of her mirror and she slightly smiled as she looked at each one. Two were her with a couple of her fellow cast members, one with her parents and three of her in different costumes for other shows she had performed in. But one picture on her mirror had always stood out to her more than the others. It was an article that she had cut out from an American newspaper she received last time she visited the United States. She reached over and pulled the article down and read it over, a tradition she had seemed to pick up dong after every show she had been doing lately here in France. ' "_**Kaleido Stage! The greatest show experience in all the world!**_" ' Of course many of her cast mates and some others in the world would think otherwise of this so called Kaleido Stage, but she thought it was the greatest place on Earth. She smiled softly and leaned against one of her hands, while keeping the article in the other as her eyes trailed down each paragraph. ' "_**Join us here in the circus life and watch this beautiful art of acrobatics and gymnastics!**_" '

It was indeed a beautiful art and that's why she personally loved at that American stage, even though she would have to agree that her job now was much more circus than what Kaleido Stage represented in the states. She was a member of a circus, a traveling circus, while Kaleido performers were more of a theater type troupe that stayed in one place only, never traveling around the world. Of course, she loved being a part of the circus crew, but she wanted something different for once in her life, something that didn't involve eccentric or exotic make up or costumes. She wanted the chance to audition for a part and not be told what part she had to play because of her skill; she enjoyed playing leads but for once wanted to give someone else the chance to take the spotlight and show their talents. She sighed deeply and twirled the paper between her fingers, her reflection showing deep sorrow against her beautiful features. The paper was then quickly snatched out from her hand, breaking her from her mobile posture. "Come on, Nicolette." A male voice said to her, accompanied by a Russian accent as he spoke. Nicolette frowned and glanced into the mirror, seeing the man's body in the reflection still wearing his white outfit from the show. "Return it, Alik." She said to the young man without turning around, her words calm and low with a hint of sadness tainting her Irish accent.

Alik sighed and placed his hands on her shoulders, resting his head on top of her own, his reflection finally being seen within the mirror. He had bright green eyes and long reddish brown hair that feel to the middle of his neck and his face was partly clear of the exotic make up all except his eyes with were still covered in colors. "Is something upsetting you?" He asked her and she shook her head, letting it eyes fall to the table, but placed her right hand against the hand that rested on her left shoulder. "Nothing is the matter." She said and watched in the mirror as his green eyes turned to stare down at her, a blank expression resting on his handsome features. "You know that you can not fool me, mоя любовь." He told her and sat silently, the young man wrapping his arms around her neck and lowered his head to his shoulder, where he turned his head into her neck. "Will you not tell me what is hurting you?"

"There is nothing to be worried about."

"_**Пожалуйста не лгите мне**_." Nicolette sighed and looked up at her friend, taking her hand from his. "Really. Alik." She said as she placed her hand gently on his cheek, watching as he shut his eyes before leaning his face against her hand. "Believe me." After a few moments, the Russian man opened his eyes and glanced down at her, catching her eyes with his own. "...I believe you..." The pink haired smiled and leaned forward, kissing him on the cheek before another over his right eye. "Go on. Go have fun with the boys. This was our last show, go have a good time." Alik smiled and released his hold around her shoulders and kissed the side of her neck before hurrying back to his mirror to take off the remaining make up that coated his eyes. Nicolette smiled sadly and turned back to her mirror, her eyes suddenly feeling with regret. '_I'm sorry, Alik..._' She thought as she quickly tore down her photos and stood up, slipping out of her white leotard before making her way over to her closet where he normal clothes hung. '_I'm so, so sorry..._'

About an hour later, Nicolette walked out from behind a curtain in the dressing room and noticed that it was completely empty since everyone had left to have a enjoyable night here in Paris. She quickly rushed over to her mirror and opened up a purple suitcase, throwing her make up bag and other small necessities from her table inside. Once everything was safely packed, she zipped up the suitcase and took one last look at herself in the mirror. She wore a pair black leggings, a skin tight orange long sleeved shirt that ended at the middle of her thighs and a black jacket over and red scarf that rested against her neck and shoulders. Her face was now free of the large amount of make and she pulled her hair up into a small ponytail before hiding her hair underneath a black hat.

Nicolette placed her fingers gently against the mirror and took a final look at the cast tent, old memories rushing back at her and she felt tears beginning to form in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away and pulled a letter from her jacket pocket, three names signed in cursive on the top of the envelope. After taking a final look in the mirror, making sure she was disguised well enough, she grabbed her purple suitcase and slung a green duffle back over her shoulder. '_Good bye... My friends..._' With tears threatening to fall, Nicolette hurried out from the cast tent and to the sidewalk, waving for a cab to stop in front of her. When a cab finally did pull up, the pink haired woman took one final look at the tents as a whole and the large trucks that were parked next to it, realizing this might be the last time she saw those blue and yellow colors. She turned away and hurried into the cab, not looking back as they passed the largest truck that read... '**CIRQUE DU SOLEIL.**'

* * *

End of '_**Prologue: Daring Farewell**_'

Next... '_**Chapter One: Adventures in Cape Mary**_'

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Russian Translations! (Sorry if they are slightly inaccurate, I tried my best!)

* mоя любовь - My love.

* Пожалуйста не лгите мне - Please do not lie to me.

Here is chapter one of Irish Circus Beauty and I hope that you enjoyed reading! Please read and review! I would love to hear your feedback and comments!

DISCLAIMER: I do also want to say that I in no way shape or form, own Cirque du Soleil. But I have seen over thirteen shows live and know each one separately very well which is why I decided to use it as part of my fanfiction. Because Kaleido Star is a gymnast and acrobatic anime it made sense to me to tie the two together somehow. If at any point in time reading the story, you are confused about what exactly is happening during Cirque descriptions (or chapters) please do not hesitate to ask me! I'd be glad to answer you or help with the confusion! Thank you so much!


	2. Here in Cape Mary

**Anime**: Kaleido Star

**Creator**: Junichi Sato

**Author**: Cheshire

* * *

"_**IRISH CIRCUS BEAUTY**__"_

_Chapter One: Here__ in Cape Mary_

' _"Nicolette! What do you think you're doing?" An older woman with red hair shouted as she grabbed her daughter by the shoulder, pulling her away from the beautiful tent that was surrounded by bright lights and colorful performers. "But, mum! I want to watch the circus!" The little girl shouted, her eyes starting to water as she was pulled from the tent, her 'mother's' eyes tensing at the word. "I told you I am not your mother! Be lucky that we took you in from that orphanage but we can send you back!" She scowled and the little girl's eyes widened, shaking her head frantically. "No, no! I'll be good! I promise!" She begged and the older woman sighed, releasing her tight grip on the five year old girl. "Fine, but you better or I won't hesitate bringing you back there." The young girl nodded and the two made their way from the tent, the little girl's eyes filling with tears as the tent grew smaller and smaller before vanishing behind the town buildings... _'

* * *

A young woman with bubblegum pink hair and blue eyes slowly let her eyelids flutter open and she groaned, rubbing the top of her brow as she glanced around her surroundings. She wasn't back in Ireland like her dream, but she was sitting inside of a plane and it was quiet except for the stewardess walking around the isle asking passengers for drink orders. "What can I get for you, dear?" The woman asked and the pink haired woman smiled. "Could I have some water, please?" The stewardess nodded and moved down the isle with all the orders and the young woman sighed, leaning back against her chair. '_Of all things to dream about..._' She thought in annoyance, glancing out of her window and watching as the clouds floated by, a small smile forming on her lips. '_At least I never have to see them again, especially since they brought me back two months after that night..._' The plane suddenly jerked forward thanks to some turbulence and the passengers screamed in shock, Nicolette gripping tightly onto the side of her seat. "Sorry to interrupt your flight, but we are experiencing a bit of turbulence in the air. If you all would remain calm we will get this plane back on the right track, thank you."

Everyone within the plane sighed at the good news, happy to hear that everything would be okay, but a younger girl was crying because of the scare. The pink haired woman turned around at the sound and frowned, she didn't want to see the young girl so upset... She wanted to do something for her. '_Make her smile._' She thought with a grin, unbuckling her seatbelt and making her way over to the young girl and her mother who was trying hard to calm her down. "Don't cry, sweetie. I have something that will make you smile!" Nicolette said and the smaller girl looked up at her, her brown eyes filled with tears and uncertainty as the mother stared with a startled expression. She glanced around behind her to see if the stewardess was coming and when she wasn't, she bent backwards and gently pushed herself up so that she balanced on the palms of her hands. The passengers all watched with amazement and exclaimed loudly at the performance as the pink haired woman spun around once before balancing on one hand and pulling down the skin of her eye; making a silly face at the little girl. The little girl stopped crying at once and watched with large eyes as the woman proceeded to walk her way back to her seat which was only a few rows in front of the small family.

Once there, she grabbed her bag from under her seat and pulled three white balls from the front pocket. "Don't blink." She told them all with a smile and a wink before starting to juggle the balls in one hand, the other still holding herself up for balance. The cheers of the passengers grew louder and the little girl started laughing and clapping her hands happily as the mother smiled at the performance. Nicolette then tossed the three balls up and flipped backwards, keeping it low and letting the balls slide over her stomach and right leg during each flip, not allowing them to touch the ground. After four flips, she landed in a split with a ball resting in each hand while the third balanced on her nose, watching with a smile as the children and adults laughed and cheered her on. The two balls in her hands were tossed up and she caught them on her nose as well, letting the three balls spin together in sync as she carefully reached over for her bag to pull out four more white balls. She knocked the balls from her nose and caught them within her hands while she stood up from her split before starting to juggle all seven white balls, a large grin on her face. The stewardess finally appeared back from behind one of the curtains and gasped at the scene before her.

"Miss! What are you doing out of your seat? Please sit back down!" The pink haired woman bent her neck back and chuckled before a no handed cartwheel, while still juggling, over to the little girl and let one of the white balls fall into her lap before catching the others three in each hand. "Keep that safe for me, alright?" She said with a smile and the little girl nodded in awe and her mother gently took the ball, noticing letters that were written in gold and maroon colors. "Nicolette Roberts?" The mother read and the pink haired woman nodded with a grin, holding the six balls against her head as she spoke. "The one and only! Don't forget me!" Before the little girl could ask her a question, the woman was pulled back by the angry stewardess and Nicolette laughed bowed to the passenger's applause before sitting back in her seat. '_That was fun, I'm glad I got her to smile again._' Her blue eyes glanced around for the second stewardess, who was still grabbing drinks and frowned. '_I wonder where my water is? I could use it right about now..._'

After realizing that she wasn't going to be coming out for a while, the pink haired woman groaned and leaned against her chair, remembering to re-buckle herself back into her chair. When the belt made a click, she heard a man's voice, the captain again, speaking out of the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts and fold up your tray tables for we are coming in for a landing. Thank you for choosing us for your flight and welcome to America." Nicolette immediately pushed herself up against her plane side window and watched as the plane decided from the clouds and toward her new home of Cape Mary, California, home of the famous Kaleido Stage. '_I'm finally here..._'

* * *

The young woman walked out of the airport doors with her green duffle bag on her shoulder and smiled as the breeze kissed her cheeks with the smell of the sea circling around her. It was unnatural and unreal at all once, that it made her breath catch in her throat as the excitement filing her wanted nothing more than to escape and run rapid. She hoisted up her bag and pulled her purple suitcase down the sidewalk and into town, but she was stopped when she heard a familiar voice calling out to her. "Wait! Miss Roberts!" Nicolette turned back at the sound of her name and her eyes widened when she realized that it was the mother and daughter from the plane ride, both hurrying to catch up with the pink haired woman. "I'm so glad that we were able to find you!" The mother said with a smile as she tried to catch her breath, her daughter grinning up at the woman, the white ball held against her chest. "You were looking for me?" Nicolette asked in shock and the mother nodded, placing her hand on her daughter's shoulders. "I just wanted to thank you for what you did for my daughter back on the plane. You didn't have to do that, but you did and it meant a lot to both of us. I never got to properly tell you back on the plane."

"You were so cool!" The little girl shouted with a big grin and her mother chuckled, patting the top of her head. "My daughter has also taken quite a liking to you. I hope this doesn't seem strange at all to you." The pink haired woman finally smiled at the two and shook her head. "No, it's truthfully very sweet. Thank you."

"I don't mean to be rude... But at you from Ireland? I was curious because of your accent." The mother admitted with a small blush and Nicolette laughed. "Yes I am. I was born there yes but I joined a traveling circus when I was young so I traveled from country to country, but I learned English quite fast during my travels."

"Oh, so you were part of a circus?" The mother asked with a smile, earning a nod in response. "Well I guess that would explain the talent you have, though I have never seen what you did in a normal circus. Which did you work for?"

"It's a French-Canadian Circus, we tour here in America but mostly our shows take place all around Europe. We aren't a normal run of the mill circus either, we don't have the clowns or animals like the ones done here."

The mother nodded and gently hit herself with her hand against her cheek, confusing the pink haired girl. "How rude of me! I never introduced myself! My name is Diana and this is my daughter, Angelica. We live here in Cape Mary, would you like a tour? We'd be glad to show you around." She offered and Nicolette smiled. "Actually that would be great! I'm here for an audition but this is my first time here in Cape Mary..." She admitted and Diana blinked. "Audition? Are you auditioning for Kaleido Stage by chance?" Nicolette's eyes widened and Diana smiled. "No wonder you would fly here of all places! Angelica and I have been to many of Kaleido's shows, it is a fantastic place and I think you would have a great opportunity if you were to join their troupe!"

"That's what I'm hoping for..." Nicolette said, rubbing the side of her neck. "But I hear that auditions can be tough there... Lots of great talent work in that stage." Diana nodded and placed her hand on the pink haired woman's shoulders. "After what you showed us on that plane, they would be silly not to hire you." Nicolette's cheeks turned pink at the compliment and Angelica began to tug at the older girl's shirt. "Momma, momma! Can we take Nicolette to Very Berry?" She asked with a large smile and Nicolette was confused at the name. "Very Berry?"

"It's Angelica's favorite smoothie shop." Her mother explained, grabbing into her daughter's hand. "Please join us, we can take you to Kaleido Stage after if you would like." A large smile appeared on Nicolette's lips and she nodded happily. "I would love that! Thank you!" The three females moved from in front of the airport and made their way into town, Nicolette admiring all the buildings and shops that were set around Cape Mary. '_America is so strange..._' She thought as examined the town in awe and curiosity. '_So much different than anywhere in Europe..._'

"Ah, here we are!" Diana said and the pink haired woman snapped out of her thoughts and over to the family who were standing in front of an orange building with the letters 'Very Berry' written in purple were resting above the glass door entrance. "I hope you like smoothies." Diana said with a smile and opened the door for Nicolette to walk in, which she did and her eyes widened as she looked around the shop, the smell of fresh fruit filling her senses. "Mommy, mommy, I want a mango smoothie!"

"Okay, Angelica, mango it is. What about you Nicolette?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Which flavor would you like? It's my treat." The older woman offered and Nicolette shook her head. "No! I couldn't have you do that!" Diana could only smile at the young woman. "Please, allow me." It seemed that the older woman wasn't going to let Nicolette pay for her own smoothie and the pink haired woman sighed, with a small smile. "Thank you. I'll have a raspberry and strawberry one." Diana nodded and ordered the three smoothies, getting a number and walking over a table for the group to sit down. "Ah, it's such a beautiful day, perfect for smoothies." She said and Angelica happily agreed with her mother, excited to have her favorite drink on a hot day and after the long flight. "You both have been so kind to me. I don't know how to repay you." Nicolette said as she removed her black jacket and hat before shoving them into her suitcase, rolling her sleeves up to her elbows hoping to cool down.

"Don't worry about it, dear. Think of it as celebration for your trip here to America." Diana told her, hanging her purse from the corner of her chair. "And your audition for Kaleido!" Angelica said with a grin, causing Nicolette to giggle at the younger girl. "Thank you." The number for their drinks was called and Nicolette offered to help grab the drinks. When the two arrived at the counter, they heard Angelica scream from the table and both frantically turned around to see a man with tan skin grab Diana's purse and sped out of the shop and pushing past some customers that were trying to come in. "Oh no! My purse!" Diana cried out and Nicolette narrowed her eyes before running after the thief. "Nicolette! Wait!"

The pink haired girl hurried out of the shop and spotted the man in distance and ran after him into the heart of the town. "Return that purse!" She shouted and the man laughed as he continued to worm his way through the large crowd while Nicolette started to fall behind cause of the crowd. '_No! I can't lose him!_' With that, the woman glanced around at her surroundings and noticed all of the booths around the town had cloth covers hanging above them and she took her chance. "Excuse me!" She shouted as she jumped up a few boxes next to a fruit booth and jumped onto the cover, jumping on it twice before performing Aerial flips over to the second and doing the same across the next six that were in front of and leading to the thief. Gasps of surprise were heard underneath her and landed on the final tent cover before grabbing onto a pole and swinging down it with her legs straight out like a plank and when she got to the bottom, she slammed her legs against his back and knocked the man to the ground.

"Return the purse!" She shouted to him again when she released the pole and pressed her foot against his back to hold him in place when he tried to escape. "Stealing is not a nice thing to do!" The man groaned from the floor and finally handed the purse up behind his back for her to grab, which she did with a stern nod and grin. "There we go, that wasn't so hard now was it?" She heard another groan in response and she blinked in surprise when she heard clapping surrounding her and realized that the townspeople had stopped to watch her capture of the man and now were cheering for her. The pink haired woman blushed at the praise and she smiled nervously while waving at the men and woman. "Nicolette! Nicolette!"

The young woman turned around at the call of her name and smiled when she saw Diana and Angelica making their way through the crowd. "Diana! I got your purse back!" She said happily and the older woman sighed deeply, her own smile appearing on her lips. "Thank you for getting it back for me. That's the second time today you have helped me." Nicolette giggled and rubbed the back of her head. "I was happy to do it! But now I have to figure out what to do with him." She said, motioning back to the tan man who was still being held under foot. "Maybe we should contact the police?" Diana offered but the two were shocked when they heard a whistle being blown and a tall muscular black man making his way over to the two. "Guess we don't need to." Nicolette said as the man arrived next to the two women, no one noticing two brown eyes who watched the scene unfold, a small smirk appearing on his lips.

* * *

In the Police Station, Nicolette had to sit in front of two large police officers and she felt very nervous under their stares. '_Why do I need to be questioned to?_' She thought as the first officer, a large woman with red head tapped her pen against a clipboard as she stared down at the young woman. "Now explain to us what happened back in town." She asked and Nicolette sighed. "I already told you. I was sitting at the Very Berry when my friend's purse stolen and I retrieved it for her." But the red head didn't seem convinced. "You have an Irish accent." She commented, eyes narrowed. "Are you a runaway?"

"A runaway? No!" She shouted but then realized that it was only half true... "We haven't had that many runaways this year, but this time is usually when they start appearing." The black police offer said, his arms crossed over his chest as he also kept his eyes locked on Nicolette. "But you don't look to be underage." He noticed and she groaned. "Of course I'm not! Please, I've told you everything I know and I have an audition to be at! Can I go?" The word audition seemed to catch both their attention and the male officer uncrossed his arms, his eyes still on her. "Audition?"

"Yes, I'm here to audition for Kaleido Stage and if I don't hurry then I'll miss my opportunity! Please!" Nicolette cried out, hoping that they were let her go and not ruin her once in a lifetime chance... The black man suddenly burst out laughing and the pink haired woman was confused at his reaction. "So that's it! Ha, now this seems familiar." He told her with a smile. "A few years ago we had a similar incident happen and the same girl who stopped that thief was also here to audition for Kaleido Stage." Nicolette's eyes grew wide at the story and the male officer offered his hand to her, helping her up from her seat. "We thank you for helping catch the thief and since you aren't underage or a runaway, we have nothing else to question you for. Shall I give you a lift?" He asked and Nicolette grinned. "I would love that, thank you!"

* * *

"Here is my number and please give us a call when you found out your results of the audition." Diana said as she handed a small paper to Nicolette, both her and Angelica smiling at the pink haired woman. "I wish you the best of luck and don't hesitate to keep in touch!" Nicolette grasped the paper within her fingers and smiled kindly. "Thank you for today, you both were so kind to me." The two woman embraced and Nicolette gave a hug to Angelica as well before getting into a white police truck with Jerry, the male officer, and waved as the two took off down the street and through the town. "So what made you decide that you wanted to audition for Kaleido?" Jerry asked with a smile, glancing over at the young woman. "I haven't met an Irish girl before who would come all this way just for an audition. Japan yes, but not Ireland."

"Well, I wasn't living in Ireland." She admitted as she stared out of the window and the sea which was sparkling thanks to the sun's light. "I was in a touring circus that was based in Europe so I moved around a lot but I was born raised in Ireland, hense the accent." She said with a laugh and Jerry joined her as they cruised through town. "A good friend of mine auditioned for Kaleido Stage a few years ago and she's loved it ever since. I've been her number one fan since day one and she always gets me tickets to see the shows." Jerry said and Nicolette was curious onto who he meant. She had read magazine articles and interviews with the members of Kaleido Stage so she knew who they all were. '_I wonder who it could be... I'm so curious!_' She wondered and Jerry grinned. "Look, Nicolette. We're here."

Nicolette immediately snapped her head to the front of the car and her smile widened when she saw what was only miles from her now. A beautiful tent like building rested at the end of a long bridge that sat across the top of the ocean with golden gates blocking its entrance. Four other white tents sat behind the main blue and white stripped one with its yellow walls glowing in the light while the red walls sparkled. "Kaleido Stage..." Nicolette muttered in awe, her eyes glue to the beautiful world of Kaleido as the two closed in on the bridge. "I'm finally here..."

* * *

"Break a leg today, Nicolette." Jerry said after helping the young woman with her suitcases from the back of his truck. "You'll do great." Nicolette smiled and gently hit his shoulder with her fist. "Hey, we're friends now! Call me, Nic." She told her and he laughed, hitting her back against her own shoulder, but not too hard. "Alright, Nic. I'll be seeing you around?" The pink haired woman nodded and waved as he backed out from the entrance of the tent and drove back across the bridge, honking his horn for good luck. Nicolette took a deep breath and glanced behind her up at the building, the home of her biggest dream. '_I can't turn back now._' She thought as she gripped at the cloth was over her heart, her nervous beginning to rise. '_Not after everything I sacrificed to be here... I will become a part of his stage! I want to prove myself worthy to perform with such amazing people! And I can't let anything stop me from grasping that dream! Kaleido... Prepare to blown away!_'

* * *

End of '_**Chapter One: Here In Cape Mary**_'

Next... '_**Chapter Two: A Tricky Process**_'

* * *

First off, I would like to say that I edited and renamed the first chapter to 'Daring Farewell'. I felt that there were some mistakes in it and I wanted to try and make everything flow more smoothly so it was only slightly edited! Nothing too big at all! I would also like to thank my three reviewers who commented on the story! It means a lot! Thank you **Nitogirl**, **The Phoenix Feather**, and **Anjyu**! I hope that you three enjoyed the second chapter if you continued to stick with the story! Please read and review!


	3. A Tricky Process

**Anime**: Kaleido Star

**Creator**: Junichi Sato

**Author**: Cheshire

* * *

"_**IRISH CIRCUS BEAUTY**__"_

_Chapter Two: __A Tricky Process _

'_Is it this way? Or that way? ...What about down here? Over there? Up there? Ahh! This place is so confusing!_' After trying to find her way through the maze that was Kaleido Stage, she found herself lost and utterly confused on where the auditions were being held. '_Waah, I'm lost!_' She shouted internally as she found herself in yet another dead end, seeing as this hall lead to the pool side area of the tent where water shows were held once a year. '_I have no idea where to go! I wish someone could help me out..._' The pink haired woman groaned and leaned against one of the walls, falling to the floor and letting her legs spread out in front of her. '_I could have at least remembered what the email told me about where it was exactly being held... I'm going to be so late..._' Nicolette continued to sit against the wall in her own little world and didn't realize that a young man with long dyed, dark gray and white hair was making his way toward her from the doors that lead out to the pool of Kaleido. He held his towel in his left hand and continued to rub it against his hair but stopped when he noticed the pink haired woman sitting against the wall, obviously upset. "Hey, you okay?" He called, a small french accent tinting his speech as he spoke, catching her attention. His brown eyes were surprised to see her own blue ones lock with his own and he moved closer to her legs, bending down in front of her. "Anything I can do to help? I can't leave a _demoiselle_ in distress, now can I?" He asked with a smile and the pink haired woman giggled, causing his smile to turn to a grin.

"There we go, that's much better. Now what can I help you with, _mon amour_?" Nicolette blushed at his french word for 'love' but sighed and looked down at her knees. "I'm here for the auditions but I'm completely lost and have no idea where I need to be." The young man seemed intrigued by her Irish accent as well as her reasoning for being here, since his grin had grown even wider then before. "That, I can help you with. Follow me." With that said, he held out his hands for the young woman and she grasped them, gasping when she was easily pulled up. '_S-strong!_' When she was balanced on her feet, the french man grabbed onto her duffle bag and glanced over his shoulder down at her. "I'm Dominique. Can I know yours?" He asked and she nodded, the blush still sticking to her cheeks. "I'm Nicolette."

"Well, Nicolette. It is a pleasure to meet you. Now come on, let's hurry before you really are late for the auditions." He winked down at her as he finished speaking and she giggled, nodding before grabbing onto her purple suitcase and following after him through the halls. "How long have you been with Kaleido Stage?" She asked him out of curiosity and he hummed, thinking about her question. "I think it's been about five years now." He told her and he laughed at the expression on her face. "Long time, I know."

"Y-yes well that..." She started, the blush returning. "B-but now I'm curious... How old are you then?" The question caused the young man to laugh again and he smirked, bending down closer to her face as they walked. "How old do you think I am?"

"That's not fair!" Nicolette shouted with a pout. "Ah ah, you asked the question now pay the consequences." The pink haired woman groaned and mumbled under her breath before finally answering his question. "Twenty-two...?" She asked and he smirked, nodding at her answer. "Close, _mon amour_. But good guess! I'm twenty-three. Started here when I turned eighteen, it was the best year of my life." He said with a smile and Nicolette smiled back in response. "You must love it here."

"I do. I couldn't imagine where I would be right now if I wasn't here." The two turned another corner down a bright hallway with many green doors and she decided to ask another question. "What is your speciality?" She had to admit she was curious seeing as he had a very toned body, mostly his legs muscles. "I'm a trampoline artist." He said proudly, causing Nicolette's eyes to widen once again. "The trampoline? Oh how fantastic!" She said happily and he glanced down at her, his brown eyes twinkling. "Do you do the trampoline?"

"It isn't my speciality, but I did it with the circus troupe I performed with and I ended up loving it." She admitted and Dominique couldn't help but hide the happy expression on his face at her answer. "Then I must say _mademoiselle_ Nicolette, if you make it into Kaleido Stage, we must perform a routine on the trampoline together." The two stopped at the end of the hallway and she smiled up at him. "I would like that. Hopefully you catch teach me a few moves."

"I would be happy to. But for now, I wish you the best of luck for we are now here." Nicolette turned to the green door that stood in front of her and she could feel the nerves started to build up in her once again, Dominique laughing and patting her gently against the back. "Nerves may be frightening, but they also a good thing. Don't forget that. _Briser une jambe, mon amour_." The pink haired woman nodded and waved the french man off as he made his way back down the hall, wrapping his towel around his neck and shaking some of the water from his hair. '_Dominique, huh? Interesting fellow._' She thought as she took one final breath before grasping onto the door's handle and making her way inside, the sounds of men and women echoing throughout the room. '_W-wow... there are so many people..._' She thought in awe as she stared around the room noticing how many bodies there really were. "Ah, welcome!" A young man's voice rung out from her right. "You're just in time!" The man speaking had blue eyes and orange hair with a clip board held in his right hand. "I'm Ken, the stage manager. May I have your name?" He asked and she nodded, setting her bag down at her feet. "Nicolette Roberts."

"Nicolette... Nicolette... Ah, here we are! Welcome, Miss Roberts."

"Ah, Nic is just fine! You don't have to be so formal." She said with a smile and the young man laughed. "Ah, forgive me. Please, take a seat. Everything for the audition process will be explained shortly." Nicolette nodded and when he walked back to the front of the room, she searched around hoping that she could find an open seat. "Hey, need a seat?" A male's voice called out from the third row and she blinked, trying to find who was calling her. "Over here, darling!" Nicolette turned to her right and noticed a young man with wavy, navy blue hair stood from his chair and waved her over with a smile. '_C-cute..._' She thought as she noticed his strong arms and toned chest through his black muscle shirt. "There's an open seat here."

"Ah, thank you so much!" Nicolette decided to set her bags against the opposing wall next to the third row and made her way through a few people before sitting down next to the young man. "Thank you, I didn't think I would find an open chair." He laughed in response and sat back down with her. "Yeah, it's really crowded this year. Last year wasn't even close to this insane." Hearing this, Nicolette was curious. "Did you audition last year?" She asked him and he nodded. "I did, but ended up twisting my ankle during the second round so I dropped. This year though I am stronger then ever! How about you? Are you from Ireland? I can tell from the accent."

"I was born and raised in Ireland, but I joined a circus troupe that based in Europe so I was always traveling." She told him kindly, not wanting to go into much detail but hoped that answered his question for now. "Ah, cool! A traveling circus, huh? That must have been fun." The smile on her lips started to falter slightly, but she didn't want him to notice her change in mood so she nodded hoping to cover it. "Yeah, spend fifteen years of my life in that circus. It was a wonderful experience."

"How come you wanted to leave it then?" He asked out of curiosity and she was about to try and change the subject, but noticed that Ken had made his way onto the small stage at the front of the room trying to call for attention. "Alright, everyone! Eyes up here, please!" The voices finally started to dimmer down and the orange haired man smiled, resting the clipboard in his left arm. "Welcome all to the Kaleido Stage cast auditions! My name is Ken Robbins and I am the stage manager here at Kaleido." Few started to whisper about his role but he ignored it and continued on. "This year we are going to the auditions a little differently and I need you all to listen carefully." That only caused more people to start whispering in curiosity and Nicolette rolled her eyes, annoyed that they couldn't just sit and listen. "As you know, the cast we have had the past few seasons hasn't changed and we still have a lot of members who aren't looking to quit anytime soon. That means, we are only looking to hire a select few new performers this year."

"A select few?" A girl in the sixth role shouted, her eyes growing wide at his statement. "But don't you usually hire about ten to fifteen new members?" She asked and Ken sighed, maybe she hadn't been listening when he mentioned that older members were looking to stay. "Like I said, our older performers have the choice to stay or leave after a certain amount of seasons and our cast has been the greatest we've had the past three years. So the boss only wants those who can keep up with their level, which is why only a select few will be chosen this season. If you can not accept this choice, then I suggest you leave now and not waste our time." The whole room sat silently after his explanation and he grinned, tapping his pen against the clipboard. "Excellent! Now grab your belongings and follow me. We have a ways to walk."

* * *

Ken lead the group of thirty through the halls of Kaleido Stage and many were mumbling about how excited they were for this new audition process while other began complaining seeing that it was different from last year and they wouldn't able to blow them away with their prepared routines. Nicolette was one of those people who was more excited about the challenging new process as well as the young man who sat with her, whose name she learned to be Zachary Holden. "Alright, ladies in this room and men in the other. Please quickly change into your audition wear and met me through those double doors in ten. Hurry, hurry!" As he finished, the groups quickly hurried into their selected locker rooms and Nicolette waited till they are dispersed before nodding to Ken with a smile. "Thank you." A slight blush rose on his cheeks at her thanks and he nodded back as she walked into the locker room, Zachary doing the same on the other side.

"Can you believe him?" One of the females in the locker room said as she started changing out of her summer dress. "He was talking to us like we were children! How annoying!" A few other girls with her agreed and Nicolette sighed, taking her two bags to the back of the locker room and starting to undress herself. She pulled off her black leggings and over shirt and changed into beige, footless dance tights, black dance shorts, a purple tank top and put a black headband on to keep her short hair down along with a few clips. As she started to pull her hair back while placing a clip between her lips, she noticed something strange in the mirror's reflection on her right, startling her. Floating in the middle of the room was a doll sized man with long curly green hair wearing a dark purple over dress and an eyepatch resting against his right eye. '_What in the world?_' She thought as he noticed him admiring all the women who were beginning to change, a small smirk on the little man's face. '_Ah, a perverted doll!_'

Before she could try and move over to the strange little man, she noticed that his eye was suddenly locked with hers, stopping her mid step. The two continued to only stare at one another until he smirked, causing Nicolette to become very confused at what he could be thinking. "So you can see me." He started and her eyes widened when he began to talk. '_He... he talks!_' The little man was about to stay something else but Nicolette was shocked out of her staring contest with him when a voice interrupted her. "Hey, what about you?" The other female asked over to her, Nicolette's clip almost falling from her lips as she turned away from the middle of the room. "Hmm?"

"What do you think about this audition process? What if they only chose like three of five of us? Wouldn't that be ridiculous?" The pink haired woman finished setting her hair and crossed her arms over her chest, a little smirk on her lips as she forgot about the little man for now. "Actually I find it quite thrilling." She admitted shocking the group of girls as well as a few others who started listening. "T-thrilling?" The young woman repeated in shock and Nicolette nodded. "Yes, thrilling. Back in Europe I was part of a traveling circus where they would only hire two newbies every three years. This, auditioning every season, is generous for a circus company this popular especially in America. Consider yourselves lucky that you've even made it this far with your attitudes."

"H-how dare you!" She shouted, her cheeks turning red in anger and Nicolette shrugged, waving it off as she made her way to the door. "Just don't let that anger show through in your audition, it'll ruin your concentration." She finished with a smirk as she shut the locker room door, hearing the other woman scream out in annoyance as it shut. '_Ah, will newbies every learn that attitude won't get you anywhere in the entertainment world?_' She shook her head with a sigh and walked down the hall where she noticed Ken and Zachary were standing in conversation. "Ah! Nicolette!" Ken said with a smile when he noticed her make her way over to the two, Zachary grinning at her arrival. "Not bad, you changed in less than five minutes." The pink haired woman laughed and hit Zachary against the shoulder. "Hey, this is an audition. I have to be prepared!"

"Glad to hear it!" Ken said happily and watched as the other men and women started to slowly start filing out of the locker rooms. "Ah, seems we can finally get started. Gather up here, ladies and gentlemen! Now follow me and don't fall behind!" The orange haired man turned and started to walk down the hall, Nicolette, Zachary and the others following after him and he lead them down a new hallway that was dark and props and costumes were visibly noticed resting on racks and cabinets. "Oh! We're going to the main stage!" One of the girls shouted and the others started muttering against in excitement and curiosity. The group noticed a light at the end of the long hallway and they walked through the opening, finding themselves indeed on the Kaleido stage floor. "Gather around please!" Ken shouted and the men and women circled around him, listening for his instructions.

* * *

"Listen up please! Thank you. Alright, now as I mentioned before this is not a normal audition like we have had in the past. You all aren't going to go up one by one and show up a prepared routine. This time around, you are going to compete against one another in categories." The mumbling started up again as he spoke and he continued on. "The first round is going to be an improved routine. You will be all be given a random prop based on your pick of the hat and you will perform it. The second round is the prepared routine round where you will show us what you have brought for us. And the third round, will be another pick of the hat choice, but this time, it won't be a prop, it will be a speciality." The mumbling suddenly turned to gasps and one of the males decided to speak up. "A random speciality? That's insane! What if someone isn't properly trained in what they choice?" He asked and Ken answered quickly. "Like I have said, this time around the Boss is being very picky with his new troupe members, you have to show us what you have. To audition for a place like Kaleido you have to be an all around performer, you must be practiced in all the elements were provide for our audiences."

"Nicely put, Ken." A new voice said, catching the attention of all the gymnasts in the room as a tall man with dark skin and black and red hair walked over, his eyes stared directly at all the men and woman. "Boss." Ken started and gasps were heard all around as the muttering started up again, but Nicolette was too surprised at the fact that the boss was here to even notice the voices around her. '_Kalos... It's really him..._' She thought in awe as the tall man stopped next to Ken, the two chatting momentarily before be turned to the cast, taking a good look at the group. "I need you all to prove to me that you here in these auditions are worth our time and energy. I will not tolerate those who 'give up' and say that they 'can't do it' or it's too hard'. Those types of people are not welcome here. You have to believe in yourself and your abilities as a performer. Because if you can't believe in yourself, how are you going to expect anyone else too?"

Silence continued to envelope the group of performers and Nicolette smiled, taking this as her opportunity. "I will not disappoint you, Sir!" She shouting, causing all eyes to look at her as well as a shocked Ken at her outburst. "I will prove to you that you can believe in me as your performer!" At her words, a small smirk appeared on the tan man lips and he chuckled, admiring her spunk. "Those are fighting words, I like it. Good luck out there and don't fail me." The pink haired girl nodded and suddenly other members in the group started shouting out that they wouldn't disappoint him either and she chuckled, at least she got their spirits up. "Ah, one more thing before I forget." Kalos started, all eyes turning over to him once again. "Normally, our auditions are in front of a select group of members and instructors here at Kaleido. But that is also going to be changed." For once, muttering didn't break out within the group and Kalos continued, his smirk returning to his lips. "This year, you will not just be auditioning for me and a small group, but for all of Kaleido Stage to witness." As he finished his sentence, the lights in the arena snapped on and the group gasped when they realized that sitting in the audience, was a large group of about thirty people, staring down at them. The Kaleido Stage Ensemble.

"Ah! It's Layla Hamilton!"

"Look, Yuri Killian is here!"

"Leon Oswald, what a hottie!"

"May Wong and Anna Heart!"

"Sora Naegino and Rosetta Passel also! Everyone is here!" People shouted as they looked around the large group and it was true. All of the stage's stars and ensemble as well as technicians sat in the seat. Nicolette also noticed that Mr. Kenneth, Kaleido Stage's biggest investor, and Simon Park with Mia Guillem, the show writers, also sat within the crowd. . '_Wow... This is..._' The pink haired woman thought, her nerves starting to appear once again. '_Slightly intimidating...Yet exciting!_'

* * *

Up within the seats, Nicolette noticed a familiar French man grinning down at her and he waved at her with a wink, causing the pink haired girl to chuckle and wave back. "Someone you know?" Zachary asked, noticing the wave between the two and she shook her head. "Not very well, I met him this morning. He was the one who showed me to the audition room." The navy haired man nodded and gently elbowed her shoulder with a grin. "At least you know one person in the troupe is routing for you." Nicolette rolled her eyes and smiled, hitting her back. "He hasn't even seen me perform yet!"

"Doesn't matter." He taunted and the two laughed before being brought back to attention by Ken clapping. "Listen up please! We will now explain to you the first round so listen carefully." The talking died down and the Kaleido Boss moved past the group and over to a large cabinet that sat in the middle of the stage, no one realizing that it had been there. "As Ken has explained to you, the first round of auditions is going to be an improved routine. Here in this cabinet are the props that you will be using for you routines." With that, Kalos undid the lock on the cabinet and opened it to reveal many props of different shapes, sizes and weight. Swords, balls, hula hoops, daggers, feathers, chains, and umbrellas were only a start of what laid inside. "Now line up. One by one you will be called up and will chose a random prop from the hat." He finished as he pulled a top hat from the cabinet and moved over to the group, shaking it so they could all hear the pieces of paper rattling inside. "Prepare yourselves for we will not go easy on you."

* * *

End of '_**Chapter Two: A Tricky Process**_'

Next... '_**Chapter Three: Balls and Hoops**_'

* * *

Like an idiot I posted the third chapter on here before I posted the second! Haha! I'm posting it up now though so anyone new who reads this story doesn't get confused! Sorry about that everyone! This should make everything make a lot more sense! Happy reading!

* Also for those who might be confused! Dominique is an actual character in the Kaleido Stage world! You meet him in episode 1 of the first season when Sora accidently knocks over the blonde girl who was wearing the pink bunny suit that she had to fill in for. He was the one with the silver and white hair that wore the purple and orange cat costume. :) So he is an actual character but I just gave him a name and a personality since you don't see too much of him after the third episode!


	4. Balls and Hoops

**Anime**: Kaleido Star

**Creator**: Junichi Sato

**Author**: Cheshire

* * *

"_**IRISH CIRCUS BEAUTY**__"_

_Chapter Three: __Balls and Hoops _

One by one, the performers auditioning made their way up to the hat and chose a piece of paper with their assigned prop. Some of the group were displeased with their results while some cheered with joy at what laid in their hand. Three more people were in line and Nicolette was the last to go with Zachary right in front of her. "Next up, Zachary Holden." The navy haired young man walked over to Kalos and chose from the hat, smirking down at his chose. "Three items of my choice? Alright! Do I have a limit of how many I can use?" He asked and Kalos shook his head, slightly amused. "Use as many as you need." Zachary grinned and winked over at Nicolette before walking over to the cabinet to grab his props, deciding to go with five balls, three swords and three Ping-Pong balls, also grabbing a small wooden stick for good measure. "Nicolette Roberts, you're the last one." Ken said with a smile as she made her way over to Kalos, nodding up at the boss before reaching inside the hat. '_Please let it be something good..._' She wished and when she unfolded the paper she couldn't help but scream out in happiness, shocking the other members and causing Kalos to laugh. "Yes!" '_Hula hoops! Thank you circus God!_' Kalos rolled his eyes with a smile at the young woman and watched as she grabbed about fifteen hula hoops from the cabinet, curious on what routine she would improvise for him. "Alright. Everyone got a prop?"

The group nodded and he shut the cabinets doors before locking it and turning back to the performers. "You have ten minutes to come up with your routine and we shall be going in alphabetical order. Meaning Edward Alan, you're up first." He said and a blonde young man in the back holding two batons gulped at the fact he was going first but nodded. "Yes, sir!" The tan man nodded and finished. "If you have a song that you would like to use, you may chose to use music or acappella, it is your choice. Ken here shall help you with music is that is your desire. Ten minutes starts now! Go!" The group members are separated and picked different parts of the stage to rehearse in while first, Nicolette went over to Ken. "Hey Ken, I have a song I'd like to use if that is okay." The orange haired man smiled and nodded his head when she handed him her blue ipod. "Thanks! What track?" Nicolette easily turned the Ipod on in his hand and turned it to the right song, Ken blinking at it's name. "Cerceaux? Is that French?"

"Good eye. Yep, it means 'hoop' in French."

"Ha! Well lucky you got the hula hoops then, huh?"

"Better thank my lucky star." She said and the two laughed before she thought up another question. "Sorry, another question. Do you happen to have metal pillars?"

"Metal pillars...?" He asked her confused and she tried to come up with an item that could be similar to what she was asking. "Yeah, or something like a coat rack?"

"Oh! Yeah I think we have some. Why?"

"I would use it for my routine if possible."

"Hmm. Well you seem to be the only one asking for help and you also seem to have your routine planned out in your head." He said chuckling. "Thanks, Ken." She said then happily grinned when he started asking a few technicians that were hanging around the stage to help him find the items. '_You have no idea._'

* * *

The ten minutes passed quickly and the group was assigned to sit in the first three rows of the stands to wait for their turn. It ended up that Nicolette wouldn't be the only one using music and she smiled, glad it would bring more variety to the auditions than only her with music while everyone else did theirs in silence. Edward went first and did a nice routine with the two batons he had and others followed after, doing very well considering the circumstances of doing it practically improvised. "Zachary Holden!" At the sound of his name, Zachary smirked and stood himself up from his chair which was next to Nicolette. "That's me. See you afterword."

"Break a leg." She said and he winked over at her before making his way down the stairs and grabbing his props before setting them into strange orders. "What do you think he's going to do?" One of the girl's two rows behind Nicolette asked, the other two curious as well. "He's go so many props that I can't tell!" The pink haired woman ignored their continuing conversation and her eyes locked onto the materials he had. '_Those look strangely familiar... I wonder why..._' She thought as he held the three swords in this hand while having his back to the audience as his song began, a familiar drum beat catching Nicolette's immediate attention. '_This is...! Emballa!_' The music finally began and Zachary ran toward the center of the stage, doing a back hand spring while holding the swords before doing a no handed back flip. After he landed, he started to juggle the three swords while running around certain parts of the stage, hoping to get the audience riled up with his routine. He moved back to the center of the stage and tossed up one sword out of the three every time he would do chaînés across the stage. After the turns he started to juggle the swords between his legs when he would lift one from the floor, doing the same with the other, surprising some in the audience. "Whoa! He's good!"

"Even I can't juggle that well..." Another muttered and Nicolette continued to keep her eyes glued on the navy haired male, his hands gripping the railing that sat in front of her. '_You haven't seen nothing yet..._' Just as she thought this, Zachary began to juggle the three swords through his legs as well as behind his back in a captivating ballad of movements. He did another few chaînés turns with tosses and tossed it up above his leg before jumping up into a eagle split and catching it between his legs. When he landed he turned on his knees and smirked at the audience as he pushed himself back up, continuing to juggle. He then tossed one in the air before a front hand over and catching it, juggling the three faster than before and it a different rotation. "Wow! Look at him go!"

"Incredible!" After he finished, he turned and fell back to his knees with another turn before flipping back twice in order to grab two of the balls and the wooden stick. Once they were in his possession, he started to spin one on his forefinger, the only being held within is other palm. He tossed the two into the air and started to juggle both with one hand until he caught one with his head letting it bounce a few times before rolling it across the back of his next and shoulders. He then started to juggle the three items within his hand, occasionally letting one of the balls roll across his shoulders and when he decided to stop that, he balanced one of the balls on the top of his foot while placing the stick between his lips. After retraining his balance, he placed the ball in his hand on the end of the stick and everyone gasped in surprise when it started spinning.

"Wah, check that out!"

"Amazing timing!" He then used the top of his foot to toss the other ball up and he caught it perfectly on top of the other ball, both spinning in sync as he balanced then between his teeth. When he finished with that, he tossed the stick back onto the stage and grabbed onto the other three balls that rested on the stage, starting to bounce the fifth on his head as he moved forward back to the center. '_He's good..._' Nicolette thought, watching as he began to juggle all five balls at once, before bouncing one of his head and juggling the other four at the same time. '_His timing is very precise, something you need with this type of routine._' starting to juggle all five within his hands. '_I just can't believe... He's doing Anthony's scene from Vareki! Has he performed in Cirque before here in America...?_' She wondered as she watched him bounce while ball on his head, juggle two in one and spin the third on his forefinger all at the same time. "That concentration!"

"Look at him go! Amazing!"

"I couldn't do that if I tried!"

Zachary finally stopped juggling the four balls and hurried back over to his pile, setting them down and grabbing the three Ping-Pong balls, starting to juggle the tiny objects as he made his way back. As he juggled, every once in a while he would bounce one on his head but they normally were just juggled, although Nicolette was probably the only person who knew what was coming next. He placed one of the balls in his mouth and started pushing it up with his tongue allowing it to fly about ten feet it the air until he caught it again before sending it off once more. "No way!" One of the guys shouted and watched as Zachary placed another ball in, starting to juggle the two about ten feet in the air with only the use of his tongue. After that, he lowered the amount of pushing and started to juggle the two with only two feet, barely giving himself time to push one out after the other but he pulled it off flawlessly causing many to gasp within the seats.

"That's impossible!"

"With only this tongue?"

"Oh I wonder what else he could do with it..." One of the girls said dreamily, but then blushed beet red when she realized that everyone turned over to her in slight disgust. The pink haired woman groaned at the comment and turned back to Zachary who was about to do the last part of his routine. '_Seems he won't be using the hats... That's probably a wise decision._' For the ending of his routine, Zachary started jugging all three balls with his tongue and catching them in his hands before tossing them back in, the speed giving him the effect that looked as though he were juggling five Ping-Pong balls instead of only three. Finally, he caught all the balls within his palms and grinned up at the audience and bowing allowing Ken to stop the music. The applause in the audience was loud and that was just what he wanted, Nicolette could tell when she saw his smirk as he moved himself from the stage, packing away his props back into the cabinet. "Alright, next up is Michael Hopkins!" Kalos shouted from his spot and a red haired young man nodded, standing up from his chair and moving to the audience to grab his umbrella prop. "What did you think?" The navy haired man asked when he sat back down next to Nicolette, crossing his arms over his chest as he relaxed.

"...Did you work for Cirque du Soleil?" She asked him bluntly and he grinned, leaning back against his chair. "Nothing can get past you now can it? I did for a while yes, a few years back. I was part of a production for the show 'Vareki' and we were to start touring in a month but my grandmother fell ill so I had to drop out. She died a week later." He said and the pink haired woman gasped, placing her hand over her mouth. "Zachary... I'm so sorry." She said and he shrugged lightly. "It's alright. We knew she was sick, it was, just her time to go, you know? But I was happy that I was able to spend that last week with her and be able to say goodbye. That's all I wanted." He smiled as he finished his sentence and turned back down to the smaller woman, grinning. "How do you know Cirque du Soleil if I might ask? Are you a fan?" He questioned and the pink haired woman chuckled, although she had a slight nervousness in her tone he didn't seem to catch on. "You could say that." He was about to press her more about the subject but heard that Michael was about to begin and it was dropped, the two watching his performance and Nicolette started to feel nervous since her time would be closing in.

* * *

"How do you think they are doing, Layla?" A blonde man with a slight tan asked, his arms crossed over his chest as he glanced over at the blonde woman on his right. "Some have been impressive." She started, thinking back at Zachary's performance. "But, most have not." The blonde finished, shutting her eyes in thought as she leaned back into her seat, a purple haired woman on her left grinning as she watched Michael's routine. "For a improved routine, he is doing pretty well!"

"You've said that about everyone already, Sora." A young woman with short red hair said on Sora's left, rolling her eyes at her older friend. "You have to say some negative things as well." The purple haired woman could only groan and fall over the seat in front of her, a small pout on her lips. "But everyone is trying so hard! I don't want to say negative things!" Layla and the red head both sighed at their naive friend and the blonde man chuckled, turning his eyes back to the stage as Michael finished his routine with a bow. "There aren't that many left, maybe someone interesting will appear and blow us away." He commented and the three glanced over at him with confusion in their eyes, a small twinkle in his blue ones. "We'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

"Nicolette Roberts!" Kalos called and the pink haired girl gulped, the butterflies in her stomach running rapid and a light sweat appeared on her forehead. "Hey, don't be nervous." Zachary told her, patting her on the back with a grin. "You'll do just fine." Nicolette nodded slowly at his words and muttered a low 'thank you' as she moved past him and down the stairs to the stage, Kalos smirking as she passed by him. '_Just breath Nic... Breath... You've done this routine a hundred times... Breath..._' The pink haired girl arrived on the stage and grabbed five of the fifteen hula hoops and set four of them in a diamond shape around the center of the stage. She was grateful to see that Ken and the technicians had found four pillars and she also set them in a second diamond farther upstage. "I wonder what she's doing." One of the girl's asked up in the stands and the blonde who questioned her in the locker room earlier shrugged her shoulders. "Probably nothing too interesting. There's not much you can do with hula hoops."

"I suppose..."

"Hmph." The blonde crossed her arms over her chest and stared down closely at the pink haired woman, still not pleased with how she was treated earlier in the locker room. '_Let's see what you can really do._' Nicolette finished organizing her stage and turned around, making sure everything was in order. '_Okay... four pillars in a diamond, four hula hoops in a smaller diamond, one hoop in the center and the other ten relaxing on the side. Alright, perfect._' With that, she took a few easy stretches to warm herself up again and moved past the hula hoops, nodding over at Ken who waited for her signal. '_Here we go... Don't mess this up._' With a final deep breath, she turned around so her back was too the audience and lifted her arms above her head, allowing them to bend at the elbows like a bird's wings. '_Blow them away!_' The music finally began and the pink haired woman dropped down to the ground with her right leg bent while the other moved straight out to her side, her arms moving like leaves in the wind with how graceful they flowed. After a few counts she rolled and did the same pose and movement only this time facing the audience, her eyes piercing those who watched.

She performed another roll and landed in a straddle spilt, before slowly pushing her body through the straddle and up into a cobra like position and then transitioning to a bridge, her eyes still looking at her audience. Nicolette then slowly moved herself out of the bridge and turned to her right, allowing herself to face the left side of the stage as she performed a body roll like movement while on the tips of her toes before spinning out of it and staring down her first hula hoop. Her legs and arms slowly started flowing gracefully around her as she moved toward it and it made her look like a bird that was trying to take its first steps on solid ground without the use of its wings, a captivating move. When she arrived at the hula hoop, she gracefully kicked her left leg back into a beautiful arabesque before pressing her foot underneath and hula hoop and started to twirl it around her ankles allowing it to float up to her knees where she kept it spinning.

After a while she spun it up to her waist to chest to neck before beginning to bourree across the floor while still all owing it spin on her neck in sync with her footwork. When she found the right spot to stand on the stage, she spun the hula hoop from her neck onto her right wrist, continuing to spin it there while she did some small leans and movements with her free arm. Still having her eyes locked on her audience, Nicolette used her left hand and grabbed her left ankle, bringing her leg up against the side of her head and placed the hula hoop around the center of her foot, beginning it spin it above her head. "Whoa!" Some of the fellow performers shouted as they watched her routine, some more intrigued by her grace than the tricks she was performing. "I've never seen anything like that before! Especially with a hula hoop!" One of the guys shouted as Nicolette started to transition her leg into a straight scorpion, still spinning the hula hoop with her foot. "That is some intense concentration..."

The pink haired girl released the grip on her leg and stood balanced on her right foot with her back leg still in a perfect straight scorpion before placing her hands on the ground, the hoop still spinning. After taking a few minutes to breath and catch her balance, Nicolette lifted her ground foot up from the ground and manuerved her legs into a split above her head, balancing only on her arms with the concentration of the hula hoop still spinning in sync with her foot. She then slowly lowered her chest to the ground and her legs moved in a scissor like movement before pressing her right foot against the ground in front of her head, positioning her body to look like a letter 'h'. She then did a second scissor like movement with her legs and pushed back on the ground, sliding her chest across the stage and bent back to grab onto her straightened leg which still spun the hoop. The pink haired woman then rolled herself across the stage and lifted her hips so only her back was against the floor and started switching her feet in and out of the hoop, allowing to spin on both her feet like a juggling effect.

After she placed it back on her left leg, she positioned it straight in the air while she performed a backwards body roll on the ground into another roll that landed her on her back. She pushed herself into a bridge with her leg still straight and once again made another 'h' shape but this time her legs were in a over split. Too show her audience that her balance was very concentrated, she started to use her free leg to spin her body around in a circle while the leg head continued to spin the hoop and Sora couldn't help but squeal at the routine. "Wah, sugoi! I want to do that too! Looks like fun!" The purple haired woman said happily and the red head at her side nodded, her arms crossed over her chest. "Her flexibility is quite impressed as well as her balance and concentration. Something you would greatly need to be a profession gymnast." Layla decided to remain silent through out the rest of Nicolette's piece and watched as the pink haired woman pushed up out of her 'h' and grabbed onto her straight leg which now rested against the side of her head again and grinned at her audience as the next part of her routine began.

Before moving to grab another hula hoop, Nicolette released her leg and moved her arms in another graceful movement while her left head stayed completely straight against the side of her leg, her muscles working hard to keep the balance. She then grabbed the hoop from her foot and jumped into a beautiful stag leap before starting to dance across the stage while spinning the hoop with her wrist. She then went into a graceful pique and tossed the hoop into the air before doing four chaînés turns and catching it, tossing it again to perform a perfect scorpion leap. Nicolette once again began to spin it with her wrist and moved over to the center hoop that sat waiting for her; she used her ankles and spun it up to her knees allowing it balance it there before she grabbed her leg leg again and brought it back up to her head. While the second hoop continued to spin on her knee, she placed the first hoop back of her foot and some gasps were heard as both spun in sync while balancing perfectly on her right foot.

A few times she transitioned the first hoop to her wrist while her left leg moved into arabesques but finally she put leg back to the ground and spun both hoops around her waist and then to her neck she she grabbed them. The pink haired woman then started to spin the two hoops in front of her head that caused the effect of a large circle of wheels to form with the speed of the spins. She tossed one up into the air and kicked her leg perfectly up to her face before catching it and bending back into a deep back bend while the two spun on her wrists. She then rolled one of them away from her and did another pique while moving to the diamond of hoops and spinning the hoop on her wrist again. One by one she started to spinning the three hoops from her ankle to her waist until she had one of her wrists, one of her chest, one of her waist and the other at her ankles while she spun in place, the hoops gracefully following her every movement. Once she finished spinning, she turned to the foot metal pole and tossed the wrist hoop over to it, watching as it landed perfectly before doing the same with the chest hoop onto the other metal pole. When she did it with the waist and ankle hoops also she grinned over at her audience before performing a series of back walk overs in place.

For her grand finale, Nicolette butterfly jumped over to the ten hula hoops that waited for her at the end of the stage and she grabbed onto them before allowing them to fall back making a cage like effect behind her head as she moved back to the center, grabbing the four hoops that relaxed on the poles. She then placed all fourteen hoops around her waist and started spinning them, the hoops making a beautiful wave of silver water appearance on her body and finally she let them fall to the ground, performing a deep bow for her audience and breathing heavily as Ken stopped her music when her bow was completed. The performers and even some of the Kaleido cast members all started to cheer loudly for the twenty year old and she grinned happily before collecting her props and placing them all back into the cabinet before walking back over to Zachary, smiling at all the 'good jobs' she received on her way up.

"What the hell was that? That was awesome!" He shouted when she arrived back at her seat and he gently slapped her against the back, grinning down at her. "How the hell did you come up with something like that in ten minutes?" She laughed at his question and said. "Let's just say that not only you have prepared pieces in your head." The navy haired man grinned mischievously at his smaller friend but the two quickly turned back to the stage when Ken started to call for attention.

"Alright, listen up please!" The orange haired man started as Kalos stood up from his chair, glancing over his notes and turning over to the men and women auditioning. "That was the last performance for the first round. You all will get a ten minute break until we start the second round. This time, you will be performing your prepared routine you brought to show us." Many 'yes' ' could be heard around the stands and the head of Kaleido nodded before sitting back down in his chair, writing more notes on his clipboard. "You have ten minutes to stretch and prepare for your pieces! Please give me an songs you may have!" Some of the men and women started to move from their chairs and Nicolette only continued to watch Kalos, interested in what he was writing. '_Is he writing about me? Did he like it? Did he not...?_' She thought sadly. "Come on, Nicolette. Let's go on the stage and stretch." Zachary offered and she quickly nodded, snapping from her thoughts. "Yeah sounds good." She grabbed his outstretched hand and the two moved down to the stage to stretch, but the pink haired woman couldn't help but keep stealing glances at Kalos. '_Keep your spirits up, Nic. Don't let his expressions taunt you! Make him want to watch you... Catch his interest... Blow it out of the water!_'

* * *

End of '_**Chapter Three: Balls and Hoops**_'

Next... '_**Chapter Four: Of Wheels and Fire**_'

* * *

Here you are everyone! Chapter three of Irish Circus Beauty! Finally we get some gymnastics in here, huh? Haha. Of course I would love to thank my reviewers for their comments and support! Thank you **Anjyu**, **The Phoenix Feather**, and **Nitrogirl**! Thank you all so much and I can't wait to have another chapter ready for you! But I also want to answer a question by one of you as well since it might be what all three of you are thinking. :)

* The Phoenix Feather - "Uuu I like this more and more! An orphanage, huh? I have some guesses concerning that, but I'll keep them to myself. I just would like to ask you when is this all happening... During the time Sora is pursuing her dream to becoming the star or much after that? ;) Update soon!"

To answer your question dear, my fanfiction takes place about three years after the second season! So it continues to have Leon and May as well as Layla and Yuri who continued to stay with the stage! Layla did have her injury at the end of the first season but it has been about four years since then so it has been able to heal and she has had surgery on it which she will talk about later in the story! But I felt like I couldn't have a story without the main cast of the first season so everyone is here! I hope that answered your question! If you have any other please feel free to ask it!

Also, if you would like to see the routines that were performed by Nicolette and Zachary in this chapter please feel free to check out the links to the two Cirque shows Alegria and Vareki! Both I have seen live and have on DVD as well! Check em' out they are amazing performers! Hope to see you again in chapter four! Please read and review!

**_Cirque du Soleil - Alegria_**: (Nicolette's routine) Copyright Elena Lev ~ Alegria 2005.

/watch?v=ztXmzMvSXZ0&feature=relmfu

_**Cirque du Soleil - Vareki**_: (Zachary's routine) Copyright Octavio Alegria ~ Vareki 2001.

/watch?v=L3r-gVpUUeI


	5. Of Wheels and Fire

**Anime**: Kaleido Star

**Creator**: Junichi Sato

**Author**: Cheshire

* * *

"_**IRISH CIRCUS BEAUTY**__"_

_Chapter Four: Of Wheels and Fire_

"What are you going to do for your routine?" Zachary asked as he glanced over at his new friend, both gymnasts stretching in a straddle split while holding onto each other's wrists to do over splits. "That's a secret." She said with a wink and the navy haired man laughed, smirking over at her. "Oh, come on! I'm curious!" This caused her to laugh in return. "But then it won't be a surprise! How fair is that?" She asked and he groaned in agreement. "Okay fine! I'll let that one slide." The two then moved out of their straddle splits and moved into regular splits, leaning their foreheads against their knees as they grabbed onto the bottoms of their feet. "How do you think you did during the first round?" Nicolette asked in curiosity and Zachary shrugged, releasing his foot and bending back to his opposite foot, grabbing that ankle. "Hmm. I think I did okay. The audience seemed to enjoy it so I hope he did too. He seems tough to impress."

"Yeah, I think that too. I just hope that I did okay." She admitted, bending her back foot and using both arms to reach back and grab her ankle, bending her back in a deep arch. "You did fine! I was impressed by how well you handled those hula hoops. They can be difficult to maneuver." He told her and she smiled softly, releasing her leg and looking over at him. "Thanks. That means a lot." The two friends grinned at each other and were about to move into another stretch before they heard Ken calling for attention. "All right, everyone! Break time is over! Please return to your seats!" The auditioning performers did as they were told and moved back into the stands, Nicolette and Zachary nodding in thanks as they passed the orange haired stage manager. "Alright. Kalos has prepared a new list of order for the second round and he will announce it to you now. Please pay attention for your names!" The head of Kaleido then stood up from his seat and turned back to the performers, coughing into his hand before speaking. "I'm going to announce the first five now. Then after they perform the next five will go. Everyone got that?" He asked and everyone nodded, so he continued on.

"This time, I would like to start off with Samuel Elliot, Ashley Scott, Zachary Holden, Michael Hopkins and Nicolette Roberts!" At the sound of her name in the first box, the pink haired woman took in a deep breath of air and Zachary smiled, patting her on the shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. Take that deep breath and relax. It's better to get the routine out of the way. You'll do just fine." Nicolette nodded slowly at his words but couldn't help the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach. Kalos made her nervous. Very nervous. It's not every day that you get to audition and perform in front of the director and owner of Kaleido Stage himself. "You okay?" Michael asked her in worry, standing on her opposite side and she nodded again, giving a small smile over to the red head. "I'm thanks. Break a leg out there, you did well with your improve routine." That caused the twenty-year old red head to blush and rub the back of his head. "T-thanks. I was nervous since I'd never really performed with an umbrella before."

"You pulled it off really well. I'd never be able to pull off half of what you did with it. You have amazing balance." This only caused his cheeks to grow redder. "Aw, thanks. That means a lot. I'm Michael by the way." He said holding out his hand to her, which she took with another smile. "I'm Nicolette. Nice to meet you. This here is Zachary." She said pointing over her shoulder to the navy haired man who grinned over at the two. "Making new friends? I like it! Nice to meet you, man." He said and the two shook hands as well before Ken hurried them off the stage so that Samuel could perform, but Nicolette couldn't help but giggle at the soft grin the orange haired stage manager held while shoving them away. "Sorry, Ken! We're moving!" The two stuck their tongues out at one another and he rolled his eyes with a laugh before moving over to sit next to Kalos and start Samuel's music he could begin.

* * *

Samuel's routine went quickly to Nicolette and Ashley was half way through her performance, Zachary stretching his arms next to her. "Break a leg out there." Nicolette whispered over to her friend, the navy haired man grinning back at her. "Thanks. Let's hope I don't mess this one up." He told the two with a wink and the pink haired woman rolled her eyes with a smile, clapping when she noticed that Ashley had now finished her routine. The brunette female bowed to her fellow performers and hurried off the stage, Zachary cracking his knuckles before grabbing onto his dance bag and moving down the stairs after Kalos had called his name. "What do you think he's gonna do?" Michael asked in curiosity and she shrugged, also curious at what he would be doing. "I'm not sure... But we know he's an amazing juggler. I'm excited to see what he will do next." The red head quickly agreed with her words and the two moved their eyes back to the stage to see Zachary speaking with Ken, who nodded before hurrying off into the wings of the stage, everyone beginning to whisper about what he was planning.

After the stage manager had returned from the wings, he had a technician of Kaleido helping roll out a German Wheel, gasps being heard in the audience. "The German Wheel..." Nicolette muttered in awe, surprised that Zachary even knew how to use one. Finally when everyone was set up, Zachary stepped into the German Wheel and balanced while holding his hands behind his back while his music began, whispers of people's voices being heard with the track. With ease, Zachary maneuvered the wheel backwards and locked his feet behind some bars, grinning as he started to flip within the smaller bars as it rolled across the stage. He continued to slowly roll across the stage and gripped tightly onto some of the smaller bars, tucking his feet into his hips so that he could roll the wheel and control its stopping movements with his weight. When his body had ended up at the top of the wheel, he held the wheel in place and lifted his legs from his hips to perform a straddle split outside of the wheel, a large grin on his lips. After pulling himself back into the middle of the wheel, he performed a pirouette and gripped onto the bars, positioning his body to look like an 'X'.

Zachary then started to allow the wheel to fall forward to the stage and started to roll across the stage in circular movements, controlling his speed to a slow pace instead of fast like he had earlier. During every eight count he would roll the wheel and stop to perform a trick or flip, showing the audience how much control he truly had. "He really knows how to control that wheel..." Michael muttered in awe, watching as Zachary flipped backwards over one of the smaller bars. "He does. You need a lot of upper body strength and control to use a wheel." Nicolette whispered in agreement, her eyes trailing back down to Zachary so she wouldn't miss any of his routine. After a final eight count, the navy haired male jumped back into his 'X' position and started to move himself and wheel quickly, as if making it look like it was leaping from the stage like it was too hot to touch. More gasps were heard around the stands and Zachary released his left hand and feet, rolling against the side of the wheel and landing on his feet while allowing the metal to roll across his body like it was a light as a feather.

After letting the wheel glide across the floor, Zachary jumped back into the wheel and positioned himself on top of the wheel, letting it roll forward until he slipped through the opening and rolled across the metal like it was a slide, appearing back at the top with ease and performing three back rolls on a bar. He then did the same thing but instead of three back rolls, he landed in a hand stand with a spilt before slipping back through and crawling to the other side of the wheel and performing a front roll on a bar. Zachary then continued to roll the wheel across the stage and started to move it backwards, performing butterfly kicks and splits as he moved. Once he reached the back, he positioned himself at the top of the wheel again and started to spin, this time allowing his whole body to follow the wheel down toward the ground. When his chest hit the ground, it helped roll his body across the metal and he appeared back at the top of the wheel, flipping once before performing the same trick and this time, standing at the top of the wheel without the help of his hands to balance him.

After hearing some applauding from the performers watching, he slipped back through the wheel and started performing a few more flips and body rolls before setting himself back into the 'X' position in the middle of the wheel. But this time, instead of holding onto the bars with his hands, he positioned his feet tightly and placed them behind his back as the wheel fell forward; gasps being heard all around as he controlled the wheel across the stage with only the use of his legs. He then placed his hands back onto the bars and started to slow down his spinning before releasing one of his legs and allowing it to balance within the wheel as it spun, later replacing the leg the back to release one hand while he spun faster and faster against Kaleido's stage.

Zachary then decided to end his performance while rolling the wheel back toward the end of the stage and launching himself out of one of the openings, performing three back flips in the air and landing on the stage with a pirouette. He gave a large grin to his audience and bowed while he took in their applauding for his routine. "That was great!" Michael shouted happily while clapping his hands along with Nicolette who was smiling down at their friend. '_Kaleido's got some great talent auditioning this time around._' She thought with a giggle as Zachary winked up at her before taking his exit from the stage to come back up to his seat. '_I can just hope that I can impress Kalos and earn my place..._'

* * *

Finally, it was Nicolette's turn and the pink haired woman had returned from the locker room holding two batons within her grasp, a bottle in the other hand. She had also changed out of her beige footless tights and just now wore the purple tank top and dance shorts. She made her way to the center of the stage and set the batons down before applying the liquid on her knees and bottoms of her heels, everyone curious on why she was doing that. After the liquid was applied, she placed one of the batons on a small rack Ken provided for her and moved to the center of the stage, drinking some of the liquid herself with a grotesque face and groaning in disgust before sliding it away from her. "Ready, Nicolette?" Ken asked from the stands and she nodded, burping into her hands and some gasping when a black smoke appeared instead of air. "Yeah, thanks, Ken."

"Did anyone else see that?"

"It looks like smoke..."

"Why would she have smoke coming from her lungs?" Zachary and Michael themselves were confused as well but stopped their thoughts and turned back to Nicolette who was beginning her routine with what seemed a hawaiian inspired song. The pink haired woman started off her routine with a no handed cartwheel and when she landed, went into a front summersault and grinned at her audience, holding her hand in front of her lips before quickly moving it and allowing fire to appear from her lips and onto one side of her baton. The gasps echoed around the stands and she held the lit baton above her head before leaping into a stag leap and performing some butterfly leaps allowing the baton's fire to leave a golden trail behind her as she quickly moved. When she landed she did a quick arabesque before placing her free hand on the fire and allowing her palm to catch on fire while she put the flame on the other end of the baton, evening the flames out. "Wow..." Michael muttered in awe, Zachary's eyes wide at the performance. "I can't believe she can wield fire so perfectly... It's unbelievable." The red head said and the navy haired one could only nod in agreement, not wanting to take his eyes off of Nicolette.

Now that both ends of her baton were lit, she then started to twirl it within her hands, creating a beautiful wheel of fire as she danced across the stage while continuing to spin the baton. After performing another no handed cartwheel, the pink haired woman dropped down into a straddle split and started to spin the baton even faster than before, creating a line of fire that came to life in front of her and danced across the stage and in front of her legs like kittens chasing one another in play. The audience was still in shock of her routine but watched in awe at her chilling performance with the world's most dangerous element. The line of fire vanished when she stopped spinning and Nicolette tossed the baton into the air and moved into a quick handstand, catching the fire ends of the baton with her heels, causing most of the performers to gasp or cry out.

Nicolette smiled at their reactions and slowly lowered her chest to the ground, her eyes facing the audience while she started to juggle the baton with her feet, her feet grateful that she had applied the fire oil on her skin before performing. She kicked the baton into the air and did a front summersault before catching it and started to spin again, grabbing onto her right ankle and pulling it up against her head while she juggled the baton with only one free hand. The pink haired woman then blew out one end of the baton and did a one handed cartwheel over to the rack where the other baton rested. She grabbed onto it and lit one of its ends, holding both batons out like wigs as she slowly made her way back to the center of the stage. Nicolette slowly bent down into a deep second position plier and lit both her knees a flame, pressing the non lit sides against her skin, allowing them to catch on fire as well. Once her knees were clean, she started to spin both the batons in her hands while still in a second plier, her smile growing as the beautiful flames danced before her. For her final trick, she turned to the side and balanced herself out before spinning the batons directly in front of her and bending back slowly as if she were moving into a back bend. She then back flipped and blew out the batons before doing a last stag leap and falling to her knees to end her piece.

The pink haired woman took deep breaths before coughing into hand a few times and groaning at the smoke that came out instead. "Ugh, gross." She mumbled with a slight chuckle as she tried to get the taste off her tongue. "Always hated that stuff." She then heard the audience applauding for her within the stands and she grinned, taking a deep bow before grabbing the bottle and moving the rack from the stage so the next performer could do their routine. '_I hope that Kalos enjoyed it. It didn't have as many gymnast moves as the other routine... But I hope that doesn't hurt me in the end._' Nicolette took another deep breath and knocked some ashes off of her baton ends before placing them next to her dance bag on the stage and hurried back up into the stands and over to Michael and Zachary; both grinning widely at their friend as she made her way over.

"That was amazing, Nicolette!" Michael shouted happily and Zachary nodded with a slight smirk. "You are definitely full of surprises." He commented and she laughed, sitting back in her chair between the two men. "You guys did so well, too! I loved watching both of you! I hope that we all are able to pass the auditions..." She said and Zachary patted the top of her head, Michael elbowing her shoulder. "Of course we will!" They said in unison and the trio laughed, their eyes turning back down to Kalos who started to call off the next five performers for the next routines.

* * *

"What do you think of that one?" Yuri asked Layla, both blondes not letting their eyes leave the pink haired woman as she took her final bow in the center of the stage. "...She seems to have many tricks up her sleeve." The woman said and Yuri nodded in agreement, Sora grinning on Layla's other side. "She is doing fantastic! She is pulling out so many tricks that I have never seen before!" Leon, who sat behind Sora, chose to remain quiet with his arms crossed over his chest while Rosetta tapped her fingers against her chin. "To me, it seems that she has been a performer before. She has great stage presence and knows how to pull her audience in."

"I agree with Rosetta on that one." Anna Heart, a tan purple haired woman said from in front of Sora, Mia Guillem on her left with Marion Benigni on her right. "We do get a lot of performers that have done gymnastics all their life doing competitions and recitals. But it can be hard to find someone who has had the same experience as us. Kaleido Stage isn't like a gymnastic or dance studio." Many of the Veterans agreed with Anna's words and Sora giggled happily, placing her chin within the palms of her hands as Nicolette made her way up from the stage and over to her two friends in the seats below them. "So far I am very impressed with her work and am excited for what she will do for Boss' final round." The others agreed and a black haired Chinese woman, who sat a few rows higher than the other Veterans crossed her arms over her chest and glared down at the pink haired woman who laughed with her friends. '_Nicolette Roberts, huh?_'

* * *

The rest of the routines came and went and Kalos and Ken seemed to be in a heavy discussion while the others sat quietly or whispered amongst one another as they waited patiently. "I'm curious on what the final round of auditions will be like." Zachary said happily and Nicolette nodded along with Michael, the red head grinning as he stretched in his chair. "I can't wait to hear what it is as well. I really hope that I was able to make it through to the final round... I'm so nervous." He admitted and Nicolette nodded, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I know, I'm nervous too." Zachary could only scoff at his friend's worry. "You both did just fine, I know you're going to get through to the final round. We all are, just you wait and see." He told the two with a smirk and they chuckled at his enthusiasm, hoping that he would be right...

"Can I have everyone's attention please!" Ken called, everyone's eyes all turning to him from his spot next to Kalos. "Kalos and I have discussed all the routines very carefully and have decided that ten of you will be going through to the final round." At the sound of ten, the performers in the stands all started whispering with worry and even Nicolette started to feel even more nervous then she had before. "Please listen for you name and come down to the front row if you are called. Edward Alan." He started and the blonde man who performed with the batons in the first round sighed with relief, making his way down the steps. "Ashley Scott, Jeremy Pang, Heather Simons." When the name Heather was called off the list, Nicolette immediately noticed that it was the blonde girl from the locker room who she had given a talking too. The blonde smirked over at Nicolette and flipped her hair over her shoulder as she moved down the steps with the others. "Zachary Holden, Samantha Perry, and Michael Hopkins." Ken called and both males turned down to Nicolette, now the two of them starting to feel nervous cause only three more names would be called.

The two males whispered their lucks to Nicolette before moving down the stairs and the pink haired woman now sat alone, praying to any god that she would be able to have a spot in those three choices... "Violet Chang and Richard Day." Ken started and Nicolette's heart started pounding against her chest, almost trying to break through her ribcage. One last name... There was only one more spot and it was a 50 50 chance that it could be hers... All the pressure was on her now and she prayed that she'd be given the chance. "And last but not least, the tenth finalist for the Kaleido auditions this season is... Nicolette Roberts." A heavy sigh of relief left the pink woman's lips and both Zachary and Michael jumped up from their seats in the first row, cheering and whistling for their female friend who grabbed the last spot.

"Thank you to all those who auditioned this season. You all did very well and we appreciate you coming out. Please return to us next season, we hope to see many of your familiar faces again." Ken said with a smile and turned back to sit with Kalos as the performers who weren't chosen started to make their way up the stairs and into the hallways of the arena to leave the building, a few starting to cry and mumble in anger about not making it through. "Nicolette you made it!" Zachary shouted happily as he embraced the pink haired female when she made it down to them, Michael hugging her after. "We were so nervous for you! Being the last name called must have put you in a panic." The red head said with a laugh and she nodded, starting to laugh herself. "You have no idea. I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest it was pounding so fast." She told them and they motioned for her to sit down in the empty seat that was between them. "I'm just glad that the three of us made it through." The navy haired male said with a smile, leaning back against his chair and sighing with content. "I'm interested in what the final round will be like."

"I am too, but I still need to calm my heart down before it can take anything else." Nicolette said and the two males laughed before the three turned over to the other finalists to shake hands and introduce themselves, the Veterans all watching the ten with amusement and interest. "Ooh yay! That navy haired man and the pink haired girl made it through! I'm so excited!" Sora said as she started to bounce in her chair, clapping her hands together. "I liked those two! The red head did well too! What do you think, Layla?" The purple haired female asked her best friend who held her arms crossed over her chest. "I feel that their are a few who deserved to be in the finals and a few who did not. But you never know what is running through Kalos' head."

* * *

"I am interested to see how these ten will perform when they learn what the final is." Yuri said with a small smile, crossing his own arms over his chest. "It will prove their courage and their dedication to the stage." He explained and the others started to agree, Anna tapping her fingers against her chin in thought. "Something wrong, Anna?" Mia asked, her pigtails bobbing against her head as she turned to face her friend. "What are you thinking about?" She wondered and the tan woman hummed, narrowing her eyes to stare down at Nicolette. "Have you... seen that woman before?" She asked her friend, who blinked at her in confusion. "Seen which woman before? The one with pink hair?" When Anna nodded, the orange haired female turned down and started to stare at Nicolette too, starting to feel that sense of recognition. "Now that you mention it... I do. But I have no idea where. Do you think she might have auditioned last year?" She started and Anna shook her head, groaning in annoyance at trying to put her face and name with a place. "Never mind, I think I might be imagining it."

Mia nodded at her friend with a smile and turned back to Simon who had started chatting with her about the new script and Anna crossed her arms over her chest, not wanting to give up so easily. Back up with Sora's row, Rosetta was beginning to wonder the same thing that Anna had, not understanding why she had thought that Nicolette's face had been familiar to her. Had she performed in France? She thought to herself in wonder, but didn't want to start asking questions and be wrong. Hopefully she would make it past the final round and she would be able to ask her, or just find her in the halls and take a good look at her face to see if it was what she had originally seen. "What you thinking about Rosetta?" Sora decided to ask, snapping the red head out of her thoughts. "You look like you're thinking hard about something."

"It's nothing." She said quickly and the purple haired woman nodded with a smile, turning back over to Layla and starting back on their conversation. The red head woman softly sighed and turned back down to the front row of performers, watching as Ken started to give them instruction on what would be coming next. '_Good luck Miss Roberts._' She thought, Anna thinking the same thing while Ken continued to speak. "Congratulations to you who have made it this far. You all did very well." He said with a smile, earning a few smiles and nods in return. "The final round of the audition is going to be very different than it has in the past, so I need you all to be prepared for what I am about to tell you." He waited until he saw everyone nod and turn their full attention to him before he spoke, knowing that their would be a lot of gasps and surprise from the performers. "Your final audition is to perform in front not only the Kaleido Stage ensemble, but in front of an entire live audition here in this arena."

* * *

End of '_**Chapter Four: Of Wheels and Fire**_'

Next... '_**Chapter Five: Make Him Believe**_'

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Ta-Da! Here we are with chapter four! I hope that you all enjoyed it because I had a lot of fun writing this chapter will more routines for the audition process! Finally the final part of the audition is coming up and I can't wait to post it for you to read! First off I'd like to thank both Nitrogirl and Anjyu for their reviews! Thank you both it means a lot to hear your words and comments! Hopefull you enjoyed this chapter and please review! Lots of love!

And also just like the previous chapter! If you would like to take a look at the two routines that inspired Nicolette and Zachary's routines I have put two links below! Once again Cirque du Soleil shows Quidam and Alergia! Enjoy~!

_**Cirque du Soleil - Alergia**_: (Nicolette's routine) Copyright Karl Sanft ~ Alegria 2005.

watch?v=C4RfDw3IGkM

_**Cirque du Soleil - Quidam**_: (Zachary's routine) Copyright Chris Lashua ~ Quidam 1999.

watch?v=f9lUu2QAltA


	6. The Final Challenge

**Anime**: Kaleido Star

**Creator**: Junichi Sato

**Author**: Cheshire

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"_**IRISH CIRCUS BEAUTY**__"_

_Chapter Five: The Final Challenge_

That was definitely not what anyone had expected to hear... "What?" Nicolette muttered with wide eyes as the other nine around her starting shouting back at Ken with surprise and intimidation. "Are you crazy?" Edward shouted as Heather crossed her arms over her chest with narrowed eyes. "In front of a whole audience? This is an audition process not a show!" She shouted and Ken sighed, not wanting to have to deal with an angry blonde on his hands. "We told you all that this would not be a normal audition process, that you had to be ready for anything to be thrown at you. By all means, if you think you can't do it then please step down." He said sternly and that caused the talking group to shut up immediately. "We need people who are dedicated, we need people who are not afraid to take risks because Kaleido Stage takes plenty of risks. Our ensemble are some of the greatest performers out there and it is because they will take the risk to do what they love. Are you able to handle that kind of commitment?"

The ten finalists continued to sit silently at Ken's words, Kalos' own arms crossed across his chest and he sternly stared at every one of the performers, Nicolette gulping when his eyes landed on her. The two continued to stare at one another for a few more moments before he turned away, the pink haired woman letting out a deep breath when he did. "We aren't just going to throw you out onto the stage without giving you time to rehearse first, we aren't heartless." Ken continued on, giving a slight glare over to the blonde who only scoffed back at him. "The auditions started at eleven and it is barely two right now. The show and finale will start at eight o'clock sharp. Once you chose your specialty from the hat, you will be on your way." The men and women started mumbling again and Nicolette took this time to look up at both Michael and Zachary; the red head looked nervous like she had but Zachary had a large smirk on his face, ready for the challenge that was about to be thrown at him.

"Before we let you chose from the hat, there is one more surprise for you." Kalos started, all eyes turning to him with shock. "Another one?" Violet whispered to herself behind Nicolette, the pink haired woman also starting to feel more butterflies appearing within her stomach. "We understand that most of you aren't well rounded with everything that we do here at Kaleido, you all have your special talents or have practiced one more than others. Because of that, we have another hat for you to chose from." Ten pairs of eyes turned and noticed that two black top hats sat on two stools, pieces of white paper waiting inside. "After you chose the specialty from the first hat, you will chose from the second and a name will be written on it. Each of those names, are a member of Kaleido Stage that will be helping you with your routine."

Once again, the shouting and gasping continued. A member of Kaleido Stage? They would be working with one of the veterans? Kalos was definitely full of surprises... "A member of Kaleido?" Edward whispered, Violet taking a few deep breaths to calm her heart rate. "Yes, a member of our troupe will help you with the routine. Give ideas or critiques on your ideas. You also may chose whether you would like to perform solo or as a duo, the chose is up to you. Good luck." Kalos said, him and Ken stepping away from the hats so that they could start the picking process. "Violet, you go first." The orange haired male said and the chinese woman gulped, slowly moving past Nicolette and over to the hat. "Please take your first pick of the speciality and then your partner." Ken explained and she nodded, reaching into the first black hat and pulling out her paper. "Contortion." She said, taking a deep breath with a smile. "I got contortion." Violet said happily and Ken nodded, writing it down on his paper as she moved over to the other hat, reaching in to see who would be her partner from Kaleido.

"Dio." She said, looking up into the stands and watching as a man with over hair covering one of his eyes waved down at her, a small smile appearing on her lips. "Thank you, Violet. Richard you may go next." He said and the brown haired male nodded, reaching into both hats and reading off the names of each paper. "Juggling with Anna." He said, spotting a tan female with purple hair grin and wave down at him. "Thank you. Heather." The blonde huffed and flipped her hair over her shoulder when she passed by Nicolette, Zachary glaring at her while Michael blinked a few times at her attitude. "I have the trampoline with Dominique." She read off and Nicolette grimaced, looking up at Dominique who seemed to groan in his chair, lowly waving his hand down at the blonde who smirked at her partner. "Ashley, go up next please." The blue haired female nodded and moved over to the hats, picking out her slips. "Aerial hoops with Pamela." She read off, looking up to see an unamused silver haired female salute down at her.

"Thank you. Jeremy next." The korean man nodded and moved to the hats, running his hand through his black hair with a deep breath before grabbing the two slips of paper. "I have hula hoops with May." He read off, looking up into the stands to see a Chinese young woman wave down at her new partner. "Thank you and Edward you next." The blonde nodded and walked over to the hat, grabbing onto his name and speciality. "I got the german wheel with Emilio." He said, noticing a buff brunette grin from his spot behind Dominique and wave down at Edward, who waved back with a nod. "Samantha, go on next." The orange haired female gulped and slowly walked over to the hat, eyeing them carefully before reaching inside. "A dance routine with Mia." She read off with a smile, knowing exactly who her partner was. Mia herself smiled and waved down at her new partner, getting her shoulder smacked lightly by Anna. "Michael, your turn." Ken said and Michael squeaked, causing Zachary to burst out laughing and Nicolette to smile, rubbing her friend's shoulder. "Good luck." She told him and he nodded, giving a nervous smile back before moving over to the hats.

"I have the trapeze with Rosetta." He said softly, spotting the red head female up in the stands sitting next to Sora, a small smile on her lips as she waved down at him. "Thank you, Michael. Zachary." Ken called and the navy haired male grinned, patting Nicolette's back before moving to the two hats and choosing his papers. "I have the ladder act with Leon." He read off, a small squeal of annoyance and jealously being heard from the blonde in the corner, crossing her arms over her chest. Rolling his eyes, Zachary looked up into the stands and nodded when he saw the silver haired man nod back, his arms crossed over his chest. "Thank you, Zachary. Alright, Nicolette. You're the last one." Ken said with a smile, Nicolette giving him a nervous smile as she moved slowly over to the two hats. '_I'm nervous... Why is it that this is making me nervous?_' She thought, reaching into the first hat and grabbing one of the papers. '_Let's hope that I can be successful in whatever I choose..._' Nicolette thought with a deep breath, pulling out the second piece of paper and opening the two up to read them aloud. "I have aerial with- with..." She stuttered, her eyes widening at the name that was on her piece of paper.

"Yes, Nic?" Ken started, leaning closer to hear the name. "Who are you doing aerial with?" He asked and the pink haired female squeaked, speaking out the name in a small voice. "With Yuri..." She mumbled and Ken chuckled. "A little louder please, Nic." He said with humor and she groaned, letting her hands fall in front of her, a small blush on her cheeks. "I got aerial with Yuri." She said, Heather screeching out when she heard his name. "YURI?!" She cried out, all eyes turning to her to see her cheeks turn red with anger. "Yes, Yuri." Nicolette said, setting the two pieces of paper down and moving back into the crowd, Michael and Zachary looking down at her with arched eyebrows. After a moment, the pink haired female looked up in the stands and smiled nervously when she saw Yuri chuckling at her, giving a small wave in greeting. "All right! And that concludes the partner process!" Ken said happily as he finished writing, showing the group the piece of paper so that they could make sure that everything was correct for him.

**Violet and Dio - Contortion **

**Richard and Anna - Juggling**

**Heather and Dominique - Trampoline **

**Ashley and Pamela - Aerial - Hoops **

**Jeremy and May - Hula Hoops**

**Edward and Emilio - German Wheel **

**Samantha and Mia - Dancing **

**Michael and Rosetta - Trapeze **

**Zachary and Leon - The Ladder **

**Nicolette and Yuri - Aerial **

When everyone nodded and told him that it was correct, Ken nodded and moved back from the performers, Kalos taking a step forward. "We will now give you time to spend with your partners to come up with your routines. Also, we have an opportunity for you all to take if you so choose too." The head of Kaleido said, the ten performers looking over at him with curiosity. "Both Layla and Sora will be choreographing an opening piece for the final stage of the auditions tonight, the Kaleido troupe will be performing and you all have the chance to perform with them if you so desire." He explained, the ten starting to whisper to one another in excitement. "But know this, being in this piece does not give you a pass out of your solo with your partners, you must do both if you make that decision." Kalos said, eyeing all ten of the performers and watching their expressions. '_It sounds like he's challenging us..._' Nicolette thought, not letting her eyes wander off of the Kaleido Stage owner. '_He wants us to prove ourselves and do both._'

"Hmm... I don't know about you guys but I know that Nicolette, Michael and myself will do the opening piece." Zachary said with a large grin, the two looking over at him with wide eyes. "W-we will?" Michael muttered in shock and the navy haired man nodded, laughing as he wrapped his arms around the two. "Of course we will! We can't give up this challenge! Especially when it's Kalos!" He said and Nicolette chuckled, since she was just thinking the same thing a few moments before. "I'll do it." She said, the red head looking over at her with surprise, a soft sigh leaving his lips. "Me three." He said with a small smile and the two grinned, Kalos smirking at the new trio. "Good. I was hoping you three would accept." He said and all of their eyes widened with shock, their hearts leaping at his words. '_He... He wanted us?_' The three thought in unison, watching as Kalos turned down to Ken. "Put them on the list and prepare their schedules so that it won't interfere with their solo rehearsals." He said and the orange male nodded, making a note on his clipboard.

"W-wait! What about the rest of us?" Heather demanded, placing her hands on her hips. "Don't we get to volunteer as well?" She asked, speaking about the opening and Kalos stopped walking, looking over his shoulder at the blonde. "You had your chance and you didn't speak, that's on you." He said and she gasped, the dark skinned male smirking as he left the stage, leaving the performers alone with Ken. "Snap..." Michael muttered with wide eyes, Nicolette also surprised at Kalos' blunt words. "Ooh!" The blonde woman seethed as Zachary chuckled, Ken rolling his eyes. "Alright then. Now everyone come and take your slips. These will tell you places to rehearse and your time schedules. Nic, Zach, and Michael, you will have two slips. Do not lose them." He said and the three nodded, accepting the slips of paper. "Will do." Zachary said, Michael offering a smile as well as Nicolette, Ken grinning back at the three.

"Everyone is dismissed! Please go and find your partners in the main lobby of the building and start your rehearsals! There will be a lunch break in three hours! See you all then!" Ken said and all the performers nodded and gathered up their belongings, moving up the stairs and into the stands where the Kaleido performers were taking their leave. "I'm glad to see you perform in the opening number." Ken said with a smile to Nicolette, the pink haired female looking up with surprise. "Really? You are?" She asked and he nodded, balancing his clipboard on his hip. "It's not every day we get a performer like you to come audition. You have talent, and a good personality. I don't want to lose you." He said with a wink and she laughed, hoisting her bag onto her shoulder. "Thanks, Ken. That really means a lot." She told him truthfully and he grinned, patting her shoulder. "Now go and find Yuri, he should be waiting for you in the lobby."

With a nod, Nicolette adjusted her bag and walked up the stairs after her fellow performers, moving through the halls and into the lobby, having to cover eyes momentarily to get used to sun pouring into the room. "Miss Roberts." A voice called, the pink haired female turning to her left to see the blonde male leaning on the wall, his eyes in his pockets. "Pleasure to meet you." Yuri said with a small smile, Nicolette blushing and pushing some of her hair behind her ear as she moved over to him. "Pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Killian." She said and he chuckled. "Call me, Yuri." He told her and she smiled. "Then you can me, Nic." She told him and he chuckled again, moving off of the wall. "Shall we?" Nodding, the pink haired female followed the Kaleido Star out of the room and giggled when she spotted Dominique winking over at her with a smirk, Heather's back to her and Yuri. "Something funny?"

Yuri questioned as he led her out of the Kaleido building, the pink haired female quickly turning back to him. "Oh, no... Sorry, Dominique was trying to get my attention." She said and the blonde glanced down at her with an arched brow. "Do you know, Dominique?" He wondered and she shook her head, her eyes widening when they reached his car. The red paint sparkling in the sun. "N-no, I only met him this morning. I was lost and he took me to the audition room." Nicolette explained and he nodded, opening his door and getting into the driver's seat. "You going to get in?" He asked with a slight chuckle, Nicolette turning red at his words and quickly putting her bags in the back, getting into the passenger seat and shutting the door. "Are you always this nervous?" Yuri asked as he started the car, backing out of his spot and driving down the bridge, Nicolette holding her hand over her head to keep her bangs from flying into her eyes.

"Not usually." She said and he smirked, leaning his left arm over the side of his car door. "You are strange." He told her, the blush returning to her cheeks in embarrassment. "But a talented performer." He finished, her green eyes widening and looking over at him in awe. "I have been quite curious on what it will be like to work with you. Please do not disappointment." The blonde said and she smiled, her cheeks now tinted a light pink. "I'll do my best." She said and he nodded, glad to hear her answer. The two arrived at the Kaleido Stage apartments and both stepped out of the car, Nicolette following him down a stair path. "Where are we going?" She wondered, moving fast to keep up with his long legs. "We are going to our gym, it is here down the path. Nicely located near the apartments so our performers can access it easily."

Nodding, Nicolette looked around the area and smiled at the ocean, the water sparkling thanks to the sun's rays. "Beautiful isn't it?" Yuri said, causing the female to jump slightly at his presence so close to her. "One of my favorite places of Kaleido Stage, this wonderful view." He said, smiling as he moved down the path again, Nicolette once again blushing as she hurried after him. '_He's different than I thought he would be._' She thought, rubbing her arms to rid them of the goosebumps that had appeared. '_I'm... I'm glad to have the opportunity to work with him as my partner._' She said, a small smile appearing on her lips as he led her to a large gym, her eyes widening at the size. "Whoa..." She muttered and he chuckled, opening the door to allow her entry first. "After you."

With a smile, Nicolette entered the building and was surprised to see a large lobby with red couches, glass tables and white pillars decorating the halls. "Impressed?" He asked as he entered after her, and she slowly nodded, letting her eyes wander the room. "It's amazing." She said he smiled, placing his hand on her lower back and leading her down a hall on the left. "All these rooms are used for our rehearsals before we take it to the main stage, the others should be here shortly to use them as well." He explained, taking her to the fifth door and opening it, Nicolette's eyes locking the enormous room with multiple aerial silks hanging from the ceiling. "Oh my..." She started, allowing her bag to drop to the floor, Yuri moving past her. "We should stretch out a bit before we work on our routine, don't work yourself too hard though since you have been performing all morning." Yuri said as he took off his jacket, rolling up his sleeves and putting his blonde hair into a small ponytail. "Alright."

She said, slipping out of her shoes and moving over to the mats, sitting down and grabbing onto her feet for a hamstring stretch. After Yuri had removed his pants, Nicolette having to turn away, the blonde was now left in some black, tight work out shorts that went to the top of his knees and a blue button up with a white tank underneath, moving over to the mat to wear Nicolette sat. "What kind of routine were you thinking?" Nicolette wondered aloud, pressing her chin to her knees as Yuri cracked his neck, stretching out his legs into a straddle split. "Anything you would like." He said with a slight smirk, leaning forward until he was resting on his elbows, his chin resting in the palm of his hand. "Have you done aerial before?" He asked her and she nodded, also moving into a straddle split to stretch her legs out. "Yes, I have. But it has been a while." She admitted, stretching her shoulders and Yuri nodded, moving out of his straddle to stand and stretch his quadriceps. "Well, we should first decide on whether you want to perform your routine solo or as a duet." He explain, stretching his arms as he spoke.

"Kalos would be fine with either decision, but it all has to be up to you and what you now you can accomplish in this amount of time." Nicolette nodded at his words, understanding that she couldn't work herself too hard and try to do more than what she could truly handle. "I understand. Thank you." She said and he smiled, bending his legs so that he could be closer to her level. "Any song ideas?" He wondered and she shrugged, scratching the back of her head as she continue to stretch in her straddle split. "Well... I have a few ideas... But..." She mumbled and he arched a brow. "But?" He repeated and she blushed, avoiding his gaze as she put both hands on the floor in front of her. "Would you... mind being my partner for aerial?" She asked and he chuckled, holding on his hand for the female to take. "I would be honored."

He said and Nicolette grinned with pink cheeks, allowing Yuri to help her back onto her feet. "Now then, since we have chosen to do a duet. What would you like to portray in your routine?" He asked and the female hummed, thinking about what routines the performance would hold. "Well... Have you done ballet before?" She wondered and he nodded, curious on where she was going. "I have. Why?" He asked and she continued, looking up at the silks and thinking about the floor space of the stage. "I have a song in mind, but the song works well as a Pas de Deux." She explained and he arched a brow, starting to understand. "So you're saying do a type of Pas de Deux while in the air and on the floor?" He asked and she nodded, a smile on her face. "That way we can show both our strength not just on the ground, but in the air." She said and he nodded, placing his hands on his hips with a slight smirk. "And since it's a Pas de Deux, I get to make you look good." He joked with a wink and her cheeks flushed red as he laughed, brushing his bangs from his face.

"Now, what does that song sound like?" Yuri wondered and Nicolette quickly moved over to her bag, embarrassed that the blond continue to make her cheeks hot. After finding her Ipod, she quickly moved back over to the blonde with a smile. "It's called Ballare. Sung as a duet with a man and woman. It's a beautiful piece and I think would work well in the air." With a nod, Yuri took her ipod and handed it off to Daniel who had come down to retrieve it, grinning in thanks as he moved back up to his post. "Alright then, let's get started. I need to have lots of time with you before Sora and Layla come to take us away." He said with a chuckle and Nicolette giggled in return, the two moving over to the silks that Daniel had gracefully flown down for the two performers.

* * *

"Good, now stretch your legs and at this point I'll help wrap the silks around your ankles." Yuri instructed and Nicolette nodded, stepping up onto his knee and using her upper body strength to climb up the silks, her legs in a nice upside down 'V'. When she was in position, Yuri stood from his kneeling pose and helped wrap the silks around her legs to her ankles, the pink haired female falling forward until she was upside down in a perfect straddle split, her arms free and moving in a water like movement. "Good, you ready?" He asked and she nodded, holding out her arms for Yuri in which he took, looking up to a control booth where he signaled Daniel to raise the silks, lifting the two into the air. Once they were up, the two soared through the sky and Yuri lifted his legs through his arms, releasing one of Nicolette's arms and using his body to curl and spin around his stronger arm. "And lower!" He shouted to Daniel who nodded, slowly starting to low the silks again while Yuri unrolled his body, using his upper body strength to pull himself closer to Nicolette's lips before he felt his feet touch the ground again, Nicolette releasing his arms and soaring back up into the sky, her legs still wrapped in the silks and in a straddle.

"Perfect. Daniel bring her down!" He shouted and Daniel nodded, lowering the silks as Nicolette started to unwind herself from the soft material. "That was wonderful, Nic. You have great strength in your legs." Yuri said with a smile as he placed his hands on her waist, allowing her to release the silks before placing her hands on his shoulders. "Thank you..." She said with a small smile, looking up to see that Daniel was grinned and giving her a thumbs up. With an embarrassed giggle, Yuri set her back on her feet and was about to ask if they could run the ending again, but was interrupted when the doors to the room opened. "Yuri. I need to take Nicolette." A voice said, the two turning to see Sora in the doorway with a large smile on her face. "Layla went to go get Zachary while we pick up Michael. Ready, Nicolette?" The purple haired female asked and she nodded, smiling up at Yuri before wiping some sweat from her brow and moving to her belongings. "How long will you need her for?" Yuri questioned as he followed after his partner, letting his hair out of his ponytail. "Two to three hours at most." She answered, leaning on the door with her hands behind her back.

"Since the three hours are up, Layla and I are going to take them for their lunch break and then we still start working. After that, you two will be able to practice on the main stage before the performance tonight." Sora explained and the blonde nodded, grabbing his clothes from the mat next to Nicolette, who was putting her shoes on. "Sounds good. I'll walk you out then." He said and the purple haired female nodded with a smile, taking Nicolette's hand and leading her farther down the hall, Yuri close behind. "This is where Michael should be." Sora said as she opened the door, Nicolette's eyes widening at the site she was now beholding. Both Rosetta and Michael with in the air on two separate trapeze swings, both holding on upside down with their legs in straddle splits as they swung. Quickly the two moved back up onto their bars and Rosetta swung calmly as she watched Michael dip down and hold onto the bar with both hands. After a moment, he used his body momentum to release the bar and flipped twice before re-grabbing the bar and swinging backward; Nicolette almost screaming when he did so.

"Good, Michael! Sally, hold the music please." Rosetta shouted and the brunette up in the booth nodded, stopping the music and slowly lowering the two back to the ground, Michael having to get his trapeze to stop with his weight. "You've come for Michael, I suppose?" The red head female asked and Sora nodded, clapping her hands in front of her chest. "That was amazing you two!" She said and Michael blushed, rubbing the back of his head as he sat on his swing. "T-thank you..." He said and Nicolette grinned, hurrying over to her friend as he hopped down onto the mats along with Rosetta. "That looked amazing! I didn't know you could do the trapeze." The pink haired woman said and Michael chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as he walked off the mat with his friend. "The trapeze is what I am best at. I was glad that I got it." He said and she nodded, smiling as he wiped his face of sweat and started to put back on his over shirt and shoes from the floor. "Now all is left is to go and find Zachary. He and Leon are across the hall." Sora said the group nodded, following the Kaleido Star out of the room and moved to the opposing door, opening it up and Nicolette and Michael gasping at what they saw.

"Keep it steady, hold your balance." Leon said as he stood on the mat, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared up at his trainee. Zachary was at the top of a ten foot ladder with his hands holding both sides, his body stretched and his legs in a 'V' shape. "Good. Now, release." He said and the navy haired man nodded, gritting his teeth as he flipped his legs over his head and released the sides of the ladder, sliding down the smaller bars and landing on the mat with a soft 'thud'. "Good." Leon said with a nod, glancing over his shoulder and noticing that they had company. "Time up?" He asked and Sora nodded, Leon humming softly as he flipped his ponytail over his shoulder, running his hand through his hair as he walked down the mats. "You have to go with Sora, Zach." He said and the navy haired man nodded, taking heavy breaths as he started to chug his water bottle. "All right. Where we going?"

He wondered and Leon glanced over at Sora, the female grinning. "We are going back to the stage where we will rehearse the opening number. Most of the Kaleido troupe is in it." She explained and Nicolette's eyes widen, piecing the puzzle together. '_So that's why Yuri and Rosetta have come with us._' She thought, watching as both Leon and Zachary put on their over shirts over their work out tanks. "Shall we?" Zachary asked with a smirk and Michael chuckled as the pink haired female rolled her eyes with a smile. With that, the group of eight left the room and moved down the hall, noticing that some of the doors were open and the other competitors were working hard with their partners. '_I wonder how Dominique is doing..._' Nicolette thought, thinking back of her new friend and how it was working out with Heather. '_I hope he isn't having too much trouble with her._' Once the group was out of the building, they separated into their different cars and Nicolette went with Yuri, looking at ocean in silence as she thought about how much this chance could change her life. '_Please... Let me be successful._' She thought as she shut her eyes and rested on the car seat. '_Let me prove that I want to be here._'

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End of '_**Chapter Five: The Final Challenge**_'

Next... '_**Chapter Six: Make Him Believe**_'

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So sorry for taking such a long time to update this story! I've been super distracted with my other stories as well as my life haha. But I hope that this chapter will make up for it! I'm excited to finally have the Finals for the auditions and then start going into the rest of the story which I am super excited for you all to read! Hope this was an exciting chapter and can't wait to hear any reviews and comments! Lots of love and happy reading!


	7. Author's Apology

**Author**: Cheshire

**_My Deepest Apologies_**

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All I want to say is that I am truly sorry that I have not been updating my stories as I should be. Life has become crazy for me since college started and I finally (after eight long months) have gotten a new job that I desperately desperately need. It is really hard being a full time student, being a theater major and doing shows and working as many hours as I can get. I have bills to pay, insurance on my car, food to buy for not only myself but two kittens and it's just been tearing me up. You readers are so so wonderful and I hope that I haven't driven any of you away with my lack of uploading this month... I feel absolutely terrible about it because I love to write and be able to post my stories for you all to enjoy, and I feel I have become a disappointment. I do however work tomorrow on President's Day but I will try to do some uploading, I want to be able to post for you all! You have been such a great support for all my stories and I want to say that I have not forgotten you. Thank you thank you all of you and thank you for your patience.

~ Cheshire

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**_ 's stories_**:

(And in case any of you who are fans of one of my stories, try and check out the others I have posted to give you some more reading and keep occupied until the updates arrive! Only if you want to of course! Here are the stories! Names and what they are based on! You all are so amazing.)

"_Apple of my Eye_" - **Fruits Basket**. (5 Chapters)

"_Sacrifical Doll_" - **Fushigi Yuugi**. (2 Chapters)

"_Stand My Ground_" - **Harry Potter**. (2 Chapters)

"_Irish Circus Beauty_" - **Kaleido Star**. (6 Chapters)

"_Sweet Sacrifice_" - **Kingdom Hearts**. (8 Chapters)

"_Our Treasure_" - **Kuroko no Basuke**. (28 Chapters)

"_Marry the Night_" - **True Blood**. (14 Chapters)


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